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NIAGARA. 


THE    FALLS 


OF 


NIAGARA 

WITH    SUPPLEMENTARY   CHAPTERS   ON 

THE  OTHER  FAMOUS  CATARACTS 
OF  THE  WORLD. 

BY 

GEORGE    W.    HOLLEY. 


GlSattl)  SriluBtrattong. 


NEW-YORK: 
A.    C.    ARMSTRONG    &    SON, 

714    BROADWAY. 
1883. 


Copyright,  1882,  by  George  W.  Holley. 


OF 
MY     DEPARTED     FRIENDS, 

PETER    A.    PORTER 

AND 

JOEL    R.    ROBINSON^ 

Eijt  fotnifr, 

ANSWERING  THE   SUMMONS   TO   THE   BATTLE-FIELD, 
GAVE   HIS   LIFE   FOR    HIS   COUNTRY. 

Ei)t  latttr 

OFTEN    RISKED    HIS   OWN   LIFE   IN    SAVING 
THE   LIVES   OF   OTHERS. 

GEORGE    W.    HOLLEY. 


973133 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

Preface xiii 


Part    I. — History. 


CHAPTER   I. 

First  French  expedition — Jacques  Cartier  —  He  first  hears  of  the  great 
Cataract  —  Champ'.ain — Route  to  China — La  Salle — Father  Henne- 
pin's first  and  second  visits  to  the  Falls i 

CHAPTER    n. 

Baron  La  Hontan's  description  of  the  Falls  —  ^L  Charlevoix's  letter  to 
Madame  Maintenon  —  Number  of  the  Falls  —  Geological  indications  — 
Great  projection  of  the  rock  in  Father  Hennepin's  time  —  Cave  of  the 
Winds  —  Rainbows 


9 


CHAPTER    HL 


The  name  Niagara  —  The  musical  dialect  of  the  Hurons  —  Niagara  one 
of  the  oldest  of  Indian  names  —  Description  of  the  River,  the  Falls, 
and  the  surrounding  country 15 

CHAPTER   IV. 

Niagara  a  tribal  name  —  Other  names  given  to  the  tribe  —  The  Niagaras 
a  superior  race  —  The  true  pronunciation  of  Indian  words 19 


vni  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  V, 


The  lower  Niagara  —  Fort  Niagara — Fort  Mississauga — Niagara  vil- 
lage—  Lewiston — Portage  around  the  Falls — The  first  railroad  in  the 
United  States  —  Fort  Schlosser  —  The  ambuscade  at  Devil's  Hole  — 
La  Salle's  vessel,  the  Griffin  —  The  Niagara  frontier 25 


Part  II. — Geology. 


CHAPTER   VL 

America  the  old  world  —  Geologically  recent  origin  of  the  Falls  —  Evi- 
dence thereof — Captain  Williams's  surveys  for  a  ship-canal — Former 
extent  of  Lake  Michigan  —  Its  outlet  into  the  Illinois  River  —  The 
Niagara  Barrier  —  How  broken  through  —  The  birth  of  Niagara 32 

CHAPTER   VII. 

Composition  of  the  terrace  cut  through — Why  retrocession  is  possible  — 
Three  sections  from  Lewiston  to  the  Falls  —  Devil's  Hole — The 
Medina  group — Recession  long  checked  —  The  Whirlpool  —  The  nar- 
rowest part  of  the  river  —  The  mirror  —  Depth  of  the  water  in  the 
Chasm  —  Former  grand  Fall 42 

CHAPTER   VIII. 

Recession  above  the  present  position  of  the  Falls  —  The  Falls  will  be 
higher  as  they  recede — Reason  Why  —  Professor  Tyndall's  predic- 
tion—  Present  and  former  accumulations  of  rock  —  Terrific  power  of 
the  elements  —  Ice  and  ice  bridges  —  Remarkable  geognosy  of  the  lake 
region 50 


Part   III. 
Local  History  and  Incidents. 

chapter  ix. 

Forty  years  since — Niagara  in  winter  —  Frozen  spray — Ice  foliage  and 
ice  apples  —  Ice  moss  —  Frozen  fog — Ice  islands  —  Ice  statues  — 
Sleigh-riding  on  the  American  Rapids — Boys  coasting  on  them — Ice 
gorges 62 


CONTENTS.  ix 

CHAPTER   X.  PAGE 

Judge  Porter  —  General  Porter  —  Goat  Island — Origin  of  its  name — 
Early  dates  found  cut  in  the  bark  of  trees  and  in  the  rock — Professor 
Kalm's  wonderful  story  —  Bridges  to  the  Island  —  Method  of  construc- 
tion—  Red  Jacket — Anecdotes  —  Grand  Island  —  Major  Noah  and  the 
New  Jerusalem  —  The  Stone  Tower — The  Biddle  stairs  —  Sam  Patch  — 
Depth  of  water  on  the  Horseshoe  —  Ships  sent  over  the  Falls 71 

CHAPTER   XI. 

Joel  R.  Robinson,  the  first  and  last  navigator  of  the  Rapids  —  Rescue 
of  Chapin —  Rescue  of  Allen  —  He  takes  the  Maid  of  the  Mist  through 
the  Whirlpool  —  His  companions  —  Effect  upon  Robinson — Biograph- 
ical notice —  His  grave  unmarked 85 

CHAPTER   XII. 

A  fisherman  and  a  bear  in  a  canoe  —  Frightful  experience  with  floating  ice  — 
Early  farming  on  the  Niagara — Fruit-growing — The  original  forest — 
Testimony  of  the  trees  —  The  first  hotel  —  General  Whitney  —  Cataract 
House  —  Distinguished  visitors  —  Carriage  road  down  the  Canadian 
bank  —  Ontario  House  —  Clifton  House — The  Museum — Table  and 
Termination  Rocks  —  Burning  Spring — Lundy's  Lane  —  Battle  Anec- 
dotes       g6 

CHAPTER   XIII. 

Incidents  —  Fall  of  Table  Rock  —  Remarkable  phenomenon  in  the  river 
—  Driving  and  lumbering  on  the  Rapids  —  Points  of  the  compass  at 
the  Falls  —  A  first  view  of  the  Falls  commonly  disappointing — Lunar 
bow  —  Golden  spray — Gull  Island  and  the  gulls — The  highest  water 
ever  known  at  the  Falls  —  The  Hermit  of  the  Falls 108 

CHAPTER    XIV. 

Avery's  descent  of  the  Falls — The  fatal  practical  joke  —  Death  of  Miss 
Rugg — Swans  —  Eagles  —  Crows — Ducks  over  the  Falls — Why  dogs 
have  survived  the  descent 118 

CHAPTER   XV. 

Wedding  tourists  at  the  Falls  —  Bridges  to  the  Moss  Islands  —  Railway 
at  the  Ferry  —  List  of  persons  who  have  been  carried  over  the  Falls — 
Other  accidents 125 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER   XVI. 


The  first  Suspension  Bridge  —  The  Railway  Suspension  Bridge — Extraor- 
dinary vibration  given  to  the  Railway  Bridge  by  the  fall  of  a  mass  of 
rock  —  De  Veaux  College — The  Lewiston  Suspension  Bridge  —  The 
Suspension  Bridge  at  the  Falls 137 

CHAPTER   XVH. 

Blondin  and  his  "ascensions" — Visit  of  the  Prince  of  Wales — Grand 
illumination  of  the  Falls  —  The  steamer  Caroline — The  Water-power 
of  Niagara — Lord  Dufferin  and  the  plan  of  an  international  park.  .  .  .    144 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Poetry  in  the  Table  Rock  albums  —  Poems  by  Colonel  Porter,  Willis  G. 
Clark,  Lord  Morpeth,  Jose  Maria  Heredia,  A.  S.  Ridgely,  Mrs.  Sigour- 
ney,  and  J.  G.  C.  Brainard 153 


Part   IV. 
Other  Famous  Cataracts  of  the  World. 

chapter  xix. 

Yosemite  —  Vernal  —  Nevada — Yellowstone  —  Shoshone —  St.  Maurice 
—  Montmorency 164 

CHAPTER   XX. 

Tequendama — Kaiteeur  —  Paulo  Affonso  —  Keel-fos  —  Riunkan-fos  — 
Sarp-fos  —  Staubbach  —  Zambesi  or  Victoria — Murchison  —  Cavery — 
Schaffhausen 171 

CHAPTER   XXI. 

Famous  rapids   and   cascades  —  Niagara  —  Amazon  —  Orinoco — Parana 

—  Nile  —  Livingstone 1 79 


LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS 


Niagara  Falls  from  the  Canadian  Side Frontispiece. 

The  Horseshoe  Fall  from  Goat  Island Opposite  page      6 

Luna  Fall  and  Island  in  Winter 

"  "  17 

The  Rapids  above  the  Falls 

"  "  22 

The  Youngest  Inhabitant 

Mouth  of  the  Chasm  and  Brock's  Monument..  ..        "  "        29 

Niagara  Falls  from  Below '  54 

Great  Icicles  under  the  American   Fali 

66 
Winter  Foliage 

Ice  Bridge  and  Frost  Freaks 

Coasting  below  the  American  Fall "  /O 

"  "        76 

Second  Moss  Island  Bridge 

86 
Joel  R.  Robinson 

The  Maid  of  the  Mist  in  the  Whirlpooi "  "        9i 

"  "        97 

Fisher  and  the  Bear 

™           Ti  a  «       109 

Fall  of  Table  Rock 

Rock  of  Ages  and  Whirlwind  Bridge "  "       "4 

The  Three  Sisters  or  Moss  Islands "  "       '25 

How  the  Suspension  Bridge  was  Begun "         "      i37 


xii 


LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Blondin  Crossing  the  Niagara Opposite  page  145 


Indian  Women  Selling  Bead-work 

YosEMiTE  Falls 

Bridal  Veil  Fall 

Vernal  Falls 

Nevada  Falls 

Lower  Falls  of  the  Yellowstone. 
Upper  Falls  of  the  Yellowstone. 

The  Staubbach,  Switzerland 

Victoria  Falls,  Zambesi 


148 
164 
166 
168 
171 
172 

174 
176 
178 


Map  of  the  Niagara  Region 


PREFACE. 


THE  writer,  having  resided  in  the  village  of  Niagara 
Falls  for  more  than  a  third  of  a  century,  has  had 
opportunity  to  become  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the 
locality,  and  to  study  it  with  constantly  increasing 
interest  and  admiration.  Long  observation  enables  him 
to  offer  some  new  suggestions  in  regard  to  the  geological 
age  of  the  Falls,  their  retrocession,  and  the  causes  which 
have  been  potent  in  producing  it;  and  also  to  demon- 
strate the  existence  of  a  barrier  or  dam  that  was  once 
the  shore  of  an  immense  fresh-water  sea,  which  reached 
from  Niagara  to  Lake  Michigan,  and  emptied  its  waters 
into  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 

Whoever  undertakes  to  write  comprehensively  on 
this  subject  will  soon  become  aware  of  the  weakness  of 
exclamation  points   and  adjectives,   and   the   almost  irre- 


XIV  PREFACE. 

sistible  temptation  to  indulge  in  a  style  of  composition 
which  he  cannot  maintain,  and  should  not  if  he  could. 
So  far  as  the  writer,  yielding  to  the  inspiration  of  his 
theme,  and  in  opposition  to  all  resolutions  to  the  con- 
trary, may  have  trespassed  in  this  direction,  he  bares 
and  bows  his  head  to  the  severest  treatment  that  the 
critic  may  adopt.  His  labor  has  been  one  of  love,  and 
in  giving  its  results  to  the  public  he  regrets  that  it  is 
not  more  worthy  of  the  subject. 

As  it  is  hoped  that  the  work  may  be  useful  to 
future  visitors  to  the  Falls,  and  also  possess  some 
interest  for  those  who  have  visited  them,  it  seemed 
desirable  to  avoid  the  introduction  of  notes  and  the 
citation  of  authorities.  For  this  reason  several  para- 
graphs are  placed  in  the  text  which  would  otherwise 
have  been  introduced  in  notes.  This  is  especially  true 
of  the  chapters  of  local  history. 

The  writer  is  especially  indebted  to  the  Hon.  Or- 
samus  H.  Marshall,  of  Buffalo,  for  a  copy  of  his 
admirable  "  Historical  Sketches,"  and  for  access  to  his 
library  of  American  history.  The  Documentary  History 
and  Colonial  Documents  of  the  State  of  New  York, 
"The  Relations  of  the  Jesuits,"  the  works  of  other 
early  French  missionaries,  travelers,  and  adventurers, 
made  familiar  to  the  public  by  the  indefatigable  labors 
of  Shea  and  Parkman,  have  all  helped  to  make  the 
writer's  task  comparatively  an  easy  one. 


PREFACE.  XV 

Several  years  ago,  the  body  of  this  work,  which  has 
since  been  revised  and  considerably  enlarged,  was  pub- 
lished in  a  small  volume,  that  has  long  been  out  of 
print.  Believing  that  the  interest  of  the  volume  would 
be  enhanced  for  the  reader  if  he  were  able  to  con- 
trast Niagara  Falls  with  other  famous  falls,  cataracts, 
and  rapids,  the  writer  has  added  chapters,  describing  the 
most  noted  of  these  in  all  parts  of  the  world. 

G.  W.  H. 

Niagara  Falls,  N.  Y. 

September,  1882. 


PART   I.— HISTORY. 


CHAPTER    I. 

First  French  expedition— Jacques  Cartier  —  He  first  hears  of  the  great  Cata- 
ract —  Champlain —  Route  to  China — La  Salle — Father  Hennepin's  first 
and  second  visits  to  the  Falls. 

IN  1534.  Jacques  Cartier,  a  shrewd,  enterprising,  and 
adventurous  sailor,  made  his  first  voyage  across  the 
Atlantic,  touching  at  Newfoundland,  and  exploring  the 
coast  to  the  west  and  south  of  it.  The  two  vessels  of 
Cartier,  called  ships  by  the  historians  of  the  period,  were 
each  of  only  forty  tons  burden. 

On  the  return  of  Cartier  to  France,  so  favorable  was 
his  report  of  the  results  of  the  expedition,  that  Francis  I. 
commissioned  him,  the  year  following,  for  another  voy- 
age, and  in  May,  1535,  after  impressive  religious  cere- 
monies, he  sailed  with  three  vessels  thoroughly  equipped. 
The  record  of  this  second  voyage  of  Cartier,  by  Lescarbot, 
contains  the  first  historical  notice  of  the  cataract  of 
Niagara.  The  navigator,  in  answer  to  his  inquiries  con- 
cerning the  source  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  "  was  told  that, 


2  NIAGARA. 

after  ascending  many  leagues  among  rapids  and  water- 
falls, he  would  reach  a  lake  one  hundred  and  forty  or 
fifty  leagues  broad,  at  the  western  extremity  of  which 
the  waters  were  wholesome  and  the  winters  mild ;  that 
a  river  emptied  into  it  from  the  south,  which  had  its 
source  in  the  country  of  the  Iroquois ;  that  beyond  the 
lake  he  would  find  a  cataract  and  portage,  then  another 
lake  about  equal  to  the  former,  which  they  had  never 
explored." 

In  1603,  a  company  of  merchants  in  Rouen  obtained 
the  necessary  authority  for  a  new  expedition  to  the  St. 
Lawrence,  which  they  placed  under  the  direction  of 
Samuel  Champlain,  an  able,  discreet,  and  resolute  com- 
mander. On  a  map  published  in  161 3  he  indicated  the 
position  of  the  cataract,  calling  it  merely  a  water-fall 
(saut  d'eau),  and  describing  it  as  being  "  so  very  high 
that  many  kinds  of  fish  are  stunned  in  its  descent."  It 
does  not  appear  by  the  record  that  he  ever  saw  the  Falls. 

During  the  sixty  years  that  elapsed  between  the 
establishment  of  the  French  settlements  by  Champlain 
and  the  expedition  of  La  Salle  and  Hennepin,  there  can 
be  little  doubt  that  the  great  cataract  was  repeatedly 
visited  by  French  traders  and  adventurers.  Many  of  the 
earlier  travelers  to  the  region  of  the  St.  Lawrence 
believed  that  China  could  be  reached  by  an  overland 
journey  across  the  northern  part  of  the  continent. 
Father  Vimont  informs  us  ("  Relations  of  the  Jesuits," 
1642-3)  that  the  Jesuit  Raymbault  "designed  to  go  to 
China  across  the  American  wilderness,  but  God  sent  him 
on  the  road   to  heaven."     As  he  died  at  the  Saut  Ste. 


HISTORY.  3 

Marie  in  1641,  he  must  have  passed  to  the  north  of  the 
Falls  without  seeing  them.  In  1648,  the  Jesuit  father 
Ragueneau,  in  a  letter  to  the  Superior  of  the  Mission,  at 
Paris,  says:  "North  of  the  Eries  is  a  great  lake,  about 
two  hundred  leagues  in  circumference,  called  Erie,  formed 
by  the  discharge  of  the  mer-douce  or  Lake  Huron,  and 
which  falls  into  a  third  lake,  called  Ontario,  over  a 
cataract  of  frightful  height." 

In  some  important  manuscripts  relating  to  the  earliest 
expeditions  of  the  French  into  Canada, — discovered  a 
few  years  ago,  and  now  in  the  possession  of  M.  Pierre 
Margry,  of  Paris, —  occurs  a  description  of  the  Falls  com- 
municated by  the  Indians  to  Father  Gallinee,  one  of  the 
two  Sulpician  priests  who  accompanied  La  Salle  in  his 
first  visit  to  the  Senecas,  in  1669.  He  seems  to  have 
been  more  indifferent  to  the  charms  of  Nature  than 
Father  Raymbault,  since  he  crossed  the  Niagara  River 
near  its  mouth,  and  within  hearing  of  its  falling  waters, 
yet  did  not  turn  aside  to  see  the  cataract.  In  his  journal 
he  says :  "  We  found  a  river  one-eighth  of  a  league 
broad  and  extremely  rapid,  forming  the  outlet  of  Lake 
Erie  and  emptying  into  Lake  Ontario.  The  depth  of 
the  river  is,  at  this  place,  extraordinary,  for,  on  sounding 
close  by  the  shore,  we  found  fifteen  or  sixteen  fathoms 
of  water.  This  outlet  (the  Niagara  River)  is  forty 
leagues  long,  and  has,  from  ten  to  twelve  leagues  above 
Lake  Ontario,  one  of  the  finest  cataracts  in  the  world; 
for  all  the  Indians  of  whom  I  have  inquired  about  it  say 
that  the  river  falls  at  that  place  from  a  rock  higher  than 
the  tallest  pines  —  that  is,   about  two  hundred  feet.      In 


4  NIAGARA. 

fact,  we  heard  it  from  the  place  where  we  were,  although 
from  ten  to  twelve  leagues  distant,  but  the  fall  gives  such 
a  momentum  to  the  water  that  its  velocity  prevented  our 
ascending  the  current  by  rowing,  except  with  great 
difficulty.  At  a  quarter  of  a  league  from  the  outlet, 
where  we  were,  it  grows  narrower,  and  its  channel  is 
confined  between  two  very  high,  steep,  rocky  banks, 
inducing  the  belief  that  the  navigation  would  be  very 
difficult  quite  up  to  the  cataract.  As  to  the  river  above 
the  Falls,  the  current  very  often  sucks  into  this  gulf, 
from  a  great  distance  above,  deer  and  stags,  elk  and 
roebucks,  which,  in  attempting  to  swim  the  river,  suffer 
themselves  to  be  drawn  so  far  down-stream  that  they  are 
compelled  to  descend  the  Falls,  and  are  overwhelmed  in 
its  frightful  abyss. 

"  Our  desire  to  reach  the  little  village  called  Ganas- 
toque  Sonontona  (between  the  west  end  of  Lake  Ontario 
and  Grand  River)  prevented  our  going  to  view  that 
wonder.  *  *  *  j  ^jij  leave  you  to  judge  if  that  must 
not  be  a  fine  cataract,  in  which  all  the  water  of  the  large 
river  (St.  Lawrence)  *  *  *  falls  from  a  height  of  two 
hundred  feet,  with  a  noise  that  is  heard  not  only  at  the 
place  where  we  were, —  ten  or  twelve  leagues  distant, — 
but  also  from  the  other  side  of  Lake  Ontario,  opposite  its 
mouth"  (Toronto,  forty  miles  distant). 

Of  the  rattlesnakes  on  the  mountain  ridges  he  says: 
"There  are  many  in  this  place  as  large  as  your  arm,  and 
six  or  seven  feet  long,  and  entirely  black." 

From  Ganastoque  Sonontona  the  party  separated,  the 
two  priests,  with  their  guides   and  attendants,  designing 


HISTORY. 


to  move  to  the  west,  along  the  north  shore  of  Lake  Erie, 
and  La  Salle  apparently  to  return  to  Montreal,  but  in 
reality,  as  is  supposed,  to  prosecute  by  a  more  southerly 
route  the  grand  ambition  of  his  Hfe  —  the  discovery  of  the 
Mississippi  River — a  purpose  which  he  executed  with 
even  more  than  the  "bigot's  zeal,"  and  literally,  as  it 
proved  in  the  end,  with  the  "martyr's  constancy,"  for  he 
was  assassinated  on  the  plains  of  Texas,  some  few  years 
after,  while  endeavoring  to  secure  to  France  the  benefits 
of  his  great  discovery. 

After  separating  from  his  companions  at  the  Indian 
village,  he  probably  returned  to  Lake  Ontario  and  the 
Niagara  River,  which  he  crossed,  no  doubt,  on  his  way  to 
some  of  the  Iroquois  villages,  in  search  of  a  guide  and 
attendants  to  assist  him  in  his  explorations.  It  may  be 
assumed  that  he  visited  the  Falls  at  this  time,  but  his 
journal  of  this  expedition  has  never  been  found. 

The  first  description  of  the  Falls  by  an  eye-witness  is 
that  of  Father  Hennepin,  so  well  known  to  those  con- 
versant with  our  early  history.  He  saw  it  for  the  first 
time  in  the  winter  of  1678-9,  and  his  exaggerated  account 
of  it  is  accompanied  by  a  sketch  which  in  its  principal 
features  is  undoubtedly  correct,  though  its  perspective 
and  proportions  are  quite  otherwise.  He  says:  "Betwixt 
the  lakes  Ontario  and  Erie  there  is  a  vast  and  prodigious 
cadence  of  water,  which  falls  down  in  a  surprising  and 
astonishing  manner,  insomuch  that  the  universe  does  not 
afford  its  parallel.  Tis  true  that  Italy  and  Switzerland 
boast  of  some  such  things,  but  we  may  well  say  they  are 
sorry  patterns  when  compared  with  this  of  which  we  now 
la 


6  NIAGARA. 

speak.  *  *  *  Jt  l^the  river]  is  so  rapid  above  the 
descent,  that  it  violently  hurries  down  the  wild  beasts 
while  endeavoring  to  pass  it,  *  *  *  they  not  being 
able  to  withstand  the  force  of  its  current,  which  inevitably 
casts  them  headlong  above  six  hundred  feet  high.  This 
wonderful  downfall  is  composed  of  two  great  streams  of 
water  and  two  falls,  with  an  isle  sloping  along  the  middle 
of  it.  The  waters  which  fall  from  this  horrible  precipice 
do  foam  and  boil  after  the  most  hideous  manner  imagi- 
nable, making  an  outrageous  noise,  more  terrible  than 
that  of  thunder;  for,  when  the  wind  blows  out  of  the 
south,  their  dismal  roaring  may  be  heard  more  than 
fifteen  leagues  off. 

"  The  river  Niagara  having  thrown  itself  down  this 
incredible  precipice,  continues  its  impetuous  course  for 
two  leagues  together  to  the  great  rock,  above  mentioned 
[in  another  chapter  as  lying  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain 
at  Lewiston],  with  inexpressible  rapidity.  *  *  « 
From  the  great  Fall  unto  this  rock,  which  is  to  the  west 
of  the  river,  the  two  brinks  of  it  are  so  prodigiously  high, 
that  it  would  make  one  tremble  to  look  steadily  upon  the 
water  rolling  along  with  a  rapidity  not  to  be  imagined." 

On  his  return  from  the  West,  in  the  summer  of  1681, 
the  Father  informs  us  that  he  "  spent  half  a  day  in  con- 
sidering the  wonders  of  that  prodigious  cascade."  Refer- 
ring to  the  spray,  he  says:  "The  rebounding  of  these 
waters  is  so  great  that  a  sort  of  cloud  arises  from  the 
foam  of  it,  which  is  seen  hanging  over  this  abyss  even  at 
noon-day."  Of  the  river,  he  says:  "  From  the  mouth  of 
Lake  Erie  to  the  Falls  are  reckoned  six  leagues.     *    *     * 


The   Horseshoe  P'all,  from  (ioat  Island. 

opposite  pag^e  6. 


HISTORY.  7 

The  lands  which  lie  on  both  sides  of  it  to  the  east  and 
west  are  all  level  from  the  Lake  Erie  to  the  great  Fall." 
At  the  end  of  the  six  leagues  "it  meets  with  a  small 
sloping  island,  about  half  a  quarter  of  a  league  long  and 
near  three  hundred  feet  broad,  as  well  as  one  can  guess 
by  the  eye.  From  the  end,  then,  of  this  island  it  is  that 
these  two  great  falls  of  water,  as  also  the  third,  throw 
themselves,  after  a  most  surprising  manner,  down  into 
the  dreadful  gulph,  six  hundred  feet  and  more  in  depth." 
On  the  Canadian  side,  he  says:  "  One  may  go  down  as  far 
as  the  bottom  of  this  terrible  gulph.  The  author  of  this 
discovery  was  down  there,  the  more  narrowly  to  observe 
the  fall  of  these  prodigious  cascades.  From  there  we 
could  discover  a  spot  of  ground  which  lay  under  the  fall 
of  water  which  is  to  the  east  [American  Fall]  big  enough 
for  four  coaches  to  drive  abreast  without  being  wet ;  but 
because  the  ground  *  *  *  where  the  first  fall 
empties  itself  into  the  gulph  is  very  steep  and  almost 
perpendicular,  it  is  impossible  for  a  man  to  get  down  on 
that  side,  into  the  place  where  the  four  coaches  may  go 
abreast,  or  to  make  his  way  through  such  a  quantity  of 
water  as  falls  toward  the  gulph,  so  that  it  is  very  prob- 
able that  to  this  dry  place  it  is  that  the  rattlesnakes 
retire,  by  certain  passages  which  they  find  under- 
ground." 

Finding  no  Indians  living  at  the  Falls,  he  suggests  a 
probable  reason  therefor:  "I  have  often  heard  talk  of 
the  Cataracts  of  the  Nile,  which  make  people  deaf  that 
live  near  them.  I  know  not  if  the  Iroquois  who  formerly 
lived   near    this    fall       *       *       *       withdrew    themselves 


8  NIAGARA. 

from  its  neighborhood  lest  they  should  likewise  become 
deaf,  or  out  of  the  continual  fear  they  were  in  of  the 
rattlesnakes,  which  are  very  common  in  this  place.  *  *  * 
Be  it  as  it  will,  these  dangerous  creatures  are  to  be  met 
with  as  far  as  the  Lake  Frontenac  [Ontario],  on  the 
south  side ;  and  it  is  reasonable  to  presume  that  the 
horrid  noise  of  the  Fall  and  the  fear  of  these  poisonous 
serpents  might  oblige  the  savages  to  seek  out  a  more 
commodious  habitation."  In  the  view  of  the  Falls 
accompanying  his  description,  a  large  rock  is  represented 
as  standing  on  the  edge  of  the  Table  Rock.  This  rock  is 
mentioned  by  Kalm,  a  Swedish  naturalist,  who  visited 
the  Falls  in  1750,  as  having  disappeared  a  few  years 
before  that  date.  Father  Hennepin's  reference  to  the 
animals  drawn  into  the  current  and  going  over  the  Falls, 
and  to  the  rattlesnakes,  indicates  unmistakably  his  pre- 
vious acquaintance  with  Father  Gallinees's  narrative. 


CHAPTER    II. 

Baron  La  Hontan's  description  of  the  Falls  —  M.  Charlevoix's  letter  to 
Madame  Maintenon — Number  of  the  Falls  —  Geological  indications  — 
Great  projection  of  the  rock  in  Father  Hennepin's  time — Cave  of  the 
Winds  —  Rainbows. 

EVEN  more  exaggerated  than  Father  Hennepin's  is 
the  next  account  of  the  Falls  which  has  come 
down  to  us,  and  which  was  written  by  Baron  La 
Hontan,  in  the  autumn  of  1687.  Fear  of  an  attack  from 
the  Iroquois,  the  relentless  enemies  of  the  French,  made 
his  visit  short  and  unsatisfactory.  He  says:  "As  for  the 
water-fall  of  Niagara,  'tis  seven  or  eight  hundred  feet 
high,  and  half  a  league  wide.  Toward  the  middle  of  it 
we  descry  an  island,  that  leans  toward  the  precipice,  as 
if  it  were  ready  to  fall."  Concerning  the  beasts  and  fish 
drawn  over  the  precipice,  he  says  they  "  serve  for  food" 
for  the  Iroquois,  who  "take  'em  out  of  the  water  with  their 
canoes";  and  also  that  "between  the  surface  of  the 
water,  that  shelves  off  prodigiously,  and  the  foot  of  the 
precipice,  three  men  may  cross  in  abreast,  without  further 
damage  than  a  sprinkling  of  some  few  drops  of  water." 
Father  Hennepin,  it  will  be  remembered,  makes  this 
space  broad  enough  for  four  coaches,  instead  of  three  men. 
From  the  Baron's  declaration  as  to  the  manner  in 
which  the  Indians  captured  the  game  which  went  over 


lO  NIAGARA. 

the  Falls,  it  would  seem  that  the  bark  canoe  of  the 
Indian  was  the  precursor  of  the  white  man's  skiff  and 
yawl,  that  serve  as  a  ferry  below  the  Falls.  And  the 
timid  traveler  of  the  present  day,  who  hesitates  about 
crossing  in  this  latter  craft,  will  probably  pronounce  the 
Indian  foolhardy  for  venturing  on  those  turbulent  waters 
in  his  light  canoe,  whereas,  in  skillful  hands,  it  is  pecul- 
iarly fitted  for  such  navigation. 

A  more  correct  estimate  of  the  cataract  than  either  of 
the  preceding  is  that  of  M.  Charlevoix,  sent  to  Madame 
Maintenon,  in  1721.  After  referring  to  the  inaccurate 
accounts  of  Hennepin  and  La  Hontan,  he  says:  "  For  my 
own  part,  after  having  examined  it  on  all  sides,  where  it 
could  be  viewed  to  the  greatest  advantage,  I  am  inclined 
to  think  we  cannot  allow  it  [the  height]  less  than  one 
hundred  and  forty  or  fifty  feet."  As  to  its  figure,  "it  is 
in  the  shape  of  a  horseshoe,  and  it  is  about  four  hundred 
paces  in  circumference.  It  is  divided  in  two  exactly  in 
the  center  by  a  very  narrow  island,  half  a  quarter  of  a 
league  long."  In  relation  to  the  noise  of  the  falling 
water,  he  says:  "You  can  scarce  hear  it  at  M.  de 
Joncaire's  [Fort  Schlosser],  and  what  you  hear  in  this 
place  [Lewiston]  may  possibly  be  the  whirlpools,  caused 
by  the  rocks  which  fill  up  the  bed  of  the  river  as  far 
as  this." 

Neither  Baron  La  Hontan  nor  M.  Charlevoix  speaks 
of  the  number  of  water-falls.  But  Father  Hennepin, 
it  will  be  remembered,  mentions  three,'  two  of  which 
were  to  the  south  and  west  of  Goat  Island.  And  the 
Rev.    Abbe    Picquet,    who    visited    the    place    in    175 1, 


'^^fesaj^l 


Luna   Fall  and  Island  in  Winter. 

Opposite  page  ii. 


HISTORY.  I  i 

seventy  years  after  Father  Hennepin,  says  (Documentary 
History,  I.,  p.  283):  "This  cascade  is  as  prodigious  by 
reason  of  its  height  and  the  quantity  of  water  which  falls 
there,  as  on  account  of  the  variety  of  its  falls,  which  are 
to  the  number  of  six  principal  ones  divided  by  a  small 
island,  leaving  three  to  the  north  and  three  to  the  south. 
They  produce  of  themselves  a  singular  symmetry  and 
wonderful  effect." 

The  geological  indications  are  that  Goat  Island  once 
embraced  all  the  small  islands  lying  near  it,  and  also 
that  it  covered  the  whole  of  the  rocky  bar  which 
stretches  up  stream  some  hundred  and  fifty  rods  above 
the  head  of  the  present  island.  At  that  period,  from  the 
depressions  now  visible  in  the  rocky  bed  of  the  river, 
it  would  seem  probable  that  the  water  cut  channels 
through  the  modern  drift  corresponding  with  these 
depressions.  In  that  case  there  would  then  have  been  a 
third  fall  in  the  American  channel,  north  of  Goat  Island, 
lying  between  Luna  Island  and  a  small  island  then  lying 
just  north  of  the  Little  Horseshoe,  and  stretching  up 
toward  Chapin's  Island.  On  the  south  side  of  Goat 
Island,  there  would  have  been  a  fall  between  its  southern 
shore  and  an  island  then  situated  about  two  hundred 
feet  farther  south. 

The  highest  point  in  the  American  Fall,  the  salient 
and  beautiful  projection  near  the  shore  at  Prospect 
Park,  is  upheld  by  a  more  substantial  foundation  than  is 
revealed  at  any  other  accessible  portion  of  the  face  of 
the  precipice.  This  is  made  manifest  on  entering  the 
"Shadow-of-the-Rock,"  where  the  spectator  sees  a  mass- 


12  NIAGARA. 

ive  wall  of  thoroughly  indurated  limestone,  disposed  in 
regular  layers  more  than  two  feet  in  thickness,  with  faces 
as  smooth  as  if  dressed  with  the  chisel.  Passing  in  front 
of  this,  across  the  American  Fall,  under  the  Horseshoe 
and  Table  Rock,  there  must  have  been  formerly  a  broad 
cleft  of  soft,  friable  limestone,  to  the  disintegration  and 
removal  of  which  was  due  the  great  overhanging  of  the 
upper  strata  noticed  by  Father  Hennepin  and  Baron 
La  Hontan. 

For  three  miles  above  the  Falls,  the  course  of  the 
river  is  almost  due  west.  But  after  leaving  the  precipice 
it  makes  an  acute  angle  with  its  former  direction,  and 
thence  runs  north-east  to  the  railway  suspension  bridge. 
The  formation  of  the  rapids — one  of  the  most  beautiful 
features  of  the  scene  —  is  due  to  this  change  of  direction. 
At  no  point  below  its  present  position  could  there  have 
been  such  a  prelude  —  musical  as  well  as  motional  —  to 
the  great  cataract.  And  when  these  rapids  shall  have 
disappeared  in  the  receding  flood  it  is  not  probable  that 
there  will  be  other  rapids  that  can  equal  them  in  length, 
breadth,  beauty,  and  power. 

The  declivity  in  the  lower  channel  through  the  gorge 
is  ninety  feet;  but  on  the  surface  of  the  upper  banks 
there  is  a  rise  of  more  than  one  hundred  feet  in  the  same 
direction  —  that  is,  down  the  river.  Hence,  when  the 
Falls  were  at  Lewiston  they  were  more  than  two  hundred 
and  fifty  feet  high.  Now  the  greatest  descent  is  one 
hundred  and  sixty-eight  feet,  the  diminution  being  the 
result  of  retrocession  in  the  line  of  the  dip  —  from  north- 
east to  south-west  —  in  the  bed-rock.      It  is  owing  to  this 


HISTORY.  13 

dip  that  the  surface  of  the  water  on  the  American  side  is 
ten  feet  higher  than  it  is  on  the  Canadian.  The  con- 
tinuous column  of  water,  however,  is  longest  in  the  center 
of  the  Horseshoe,  because  of  the  fallen  rock  and  debris 
lying  at  the  foot  of  the  other*portions  of  the  Fall.  At 
this  time  the  upward  slope  of  the  bed-rock  is  such  that — 
if  it  shall  prove  to  be  sufficiently  hard  —  the  Falls,  after 
receding  four  miles  farther,  will  be  two  hundred  and 
twenty  feet  high. 

It  is  evident  from  the  descriptions  of  Father  Henne- 
pin and  of  Baron  La  Hontan,  that  the  upper  stratum 
of  rock  over  which  the  water  falls  must  have  projected 
beyond  the  face  of  the  rock  below  much  farther  than  it 
now  does.  The  large  masses  of  fallen  rock  lying  at  the 
foot  of  the  American  and  Horse-shoe  Falls  are  evidence 
of  this  fact.  Travelers  still  go  behind  the  sheet  on  the 
Canadian  side,  and  into  and  through  the  Cave  of  the 
Winds,  on  the  American  side.  But  they  do  not  expect  to 
keep  dry  in  so  doing,  nor  to  sun  themselves  on  the  rocks 
below,  like  the  "  rattlesnakes  "  of  former  days.  Never- 
theless, there  is  no  more  exciting  nor  exhilarating  excur- 
sion to  be  made  at  the  Falls  than  that  through  the  Cave 
of  the  Winds. 

Nowhere  else  are  the  prismatic  hues  exhibited  in  such 
wonderful  variety,  nor  in  such  surpassing  brilliancy  and 
beauty.  And  although  a  rainbow  is  not  a  spraybow,  it 
may  be  admitted  that  a  spraybow  is  a  rainbow,  formed  of 
drops  of  water,  large  or  small.  So  here  rainbow  dust  and 
shattered  rainbows  are  scattered  around  ;  rainbow  bars 
and  arches,  horizontal  and  perpendicular,  are  flashing  and 


14  NIAGARA. 

forming,  breaking  and  reforming,  around  and  above  the 
visitor  in  the  most  fantastic  and  deHghtful  confusion  of 
form  and  effect.  And  if  his  fancy  prompts  him,  he  may 
arrange  himself  as  a  portrait,  at  half  or  full  length,  in  an 
annular  bow.  The  enamored  Strephon  may  literally  place 
his  charming  Delia  in  a  living,  sparkling  rainbow-frame, 
flecked  all  over  with  diamonds  and  pearls. 


CHAPTER    III. 

The  name  Niagara — The  musical  dialect  of  the  Hurons  —  Niagara  one  of  the 
oldest  of  Indian  names — Description  of  the  river,  the  Falls,  and  the  sur- 
rounding country. 

THERE  is  in  some  words  a  mystic  power  which  it  is 
not  easy  to  analyze  or  define  ;  they  fascinate  the 
ear  even  of  those  who  do  not  understand  their  mean- 
ing. The  very  sound  of  them  as  they  are  enunciated  by 
the  human  voice  touches  a  chord  to  which  the  heart 
instinctively  responds.  So  it  is  with  the  name  of  the  great 
cataract.  No  one  can  hear  it  correctly  pronounced  with- 
out being  charmed  with  its  rhythmical  beauty,  or  without 
feeling  confident  of  its  poetical  aptness  and  significance 
in  the  dialect  from  which  it  was  derived. 

And  although  we  have  no  means  of  determining  the 
correctness  of  any  of  the  fanciful  or  poetical  interpreta- 
tions which  have  been  given  of  the  word,  still  we  cannot 
doubt  that  it  must  have  had  a  peculiar  force  and  justness 
with  those  who  first  applied  it.  Baron  La  Hontan,  who 
spent  several  years  among  the  Indians,  noticed  the  remark- 
able fact  concerning  their  language  that  it  had  no  labials. 
"  Nevertheless,"  he  says,  "  the  language  of  the  Hurons  ap- 
pears very  beautiful,  and  the  sound  of  it  perfectly  charm- 
ing, although,  in  speaking  it,  they  never  close  their  lips." 


1 6  NIAGARA. 

The  most  voluminous  and  among  the  earliest  existing" 
records  connected  with  the  River  St.  Lawrence,  and  the 
great  lakes  which  it  drains,  are  the  well-known  "Relations 
of  the  Jesuits,"  so  called,  comprising  a  yearly  account  of 
the  labors  of  the  Missionary  Fathers  sent  out  by  the  Col- 
lege at  Paris  to  Christianize  the  Indians.  In  1615,  they 
established  their  mission  at  Quebec,  and  from  thence 
extended  their  operations  westward.  In  1626,  they 
reached  the  large  and  powerful  tribe  of  Indians  which 
occupied  the  splendid  domain  which  may  be  described 
with  proximate  accuracy  as  bounded  by  a  line  commenc- 
ing at  a  point  on  the  southerly  shore  of  Lake  Ontario, 
about  thirty  miles  west  of  the  mouth  of  the  Genesee 
River,  and  running  thence  parallel  to  that  river  to  a  point 
due  west  from  Avon ;  thence  nearly  due  west  to  Buf- 
falo ;  thence  along  the  north  shore  of  Lake  Erie  to  the 
Detroit  River ;  thence  up  that  river  to  a  point  directly  west 
from  the  west  end  of  Lake  Ontario ;  thence  east  to  that 
lake,  and  finally  along  the  southern  shore  of  it  to  the  place 
of  beginning. 

The  oldest  and  most  notable  name  in  all  this  territory 
is  Niagara,  as  would  naturally  be  inferred,  when  we  con- 
sider the  varied  and  wonderful  features  of  the  mighty  river 
which  flows  across  this  country.  Taking  leave  of  Lake 
Erie,  its  clear  waters  gradually  spread  themselves  out  in 
a  broad,  bright  channel,  over  a  plain,  open  country,  hav- 
ing a  slight  declivity,  just  sufficient  to  make  a  gentle  cur- 
rent, thereby  adding  the  living  beauty  and  force  of  motion 
to  the  broad  expanse  of  a  lake-like  surface,  that  surface 
itself  diversified  and  relieved  by  the  pleasant  islands,  large 


^^ 


^^'  " 


■=<«■' 
The  Rapids  above  the  F'alls. 

Opposite  page  17. 


HISTORY.  17 

and  small,  which  are  scattered  over  it.  Eddying  into 
every  quiet  bay,  coquetting  with  every  salient  angle, 
moving  to  the  melody  of  its  own  murmurs,  it  flows  on 
serenely  and  musically. 

But  after  a  time  this  holiday  journey  is  interrupted. 
A  fearful  change  takes  place.  The  careless  waters  are 
hurried  down  a  long  and  sharp  descent,  over  the  rough, 
denuded,  bowlder-studded  bed-rock  of  the  stream.  Break- 
ing and  bounding,  surging  and  resurging,  flashing  and 
foaming,  rushing  fiercely  upon  some  huge  bowlder,  recoil- 
ing an  instant,  then  madly  leaping  entirely  over  it,  rush- 
ing on  to  others  huger  still,  then  breaking  wildly  around 
them,  the  troubled  waters  hurry  on  until,  culminating  in 
their  sublimest  aspect,  they  plunge  sheer  downward  in  the 
grandest  of  cataracts. 

And  now  the  scene  and  the  effect  it  produces  on  the 
beholder  both  change.  The  rapids  are  beautiful ;  the 
falls  are  grand  ;  those  are  exhilarating,  these  are  inspiring; 
those  are  noisy,  turbulent,  fickle ;  these  are  calm,  resist- 
less, inexorable. 

After  the  water  has  made  the  final  plunge  over  the 
precipice  the  cataract  acquires  its  most  impressive  charac- 
teristics ;  the  majestic  monotone,  the  bow,  the  cloud, 
which  is  its  veil  by  night,  its  crowning  glory  and  beauty 
by  day.  The  combinations  of  grandeur  and  beauty  have 
reached  their  climax  in  the  fall,  the  foam,  the  voice,  the 
spray,  the  bow. 

The  chasm  of  the  river  from  the  Falls  to  Lewis- 
ton  will  be  sufficiently  described  in  treating  of  the  geol- 
ogy of  the  district.  From  Lewiston  to  Lake  Ontario, 
2 


1 8  NIAGARA. 

seven  miles,  the  waters  of  the  river  flow  on  through 
an  elevated  and  fertile  plain,  in  a  strong,  calm,  majestic 
current,  smiling  with  dimples  and  reversed  in  occasional 
eddies,  but  neither  broken  by  rapids  nor  impeded  by 
islands.  Finally  it  is  lost  in  the  lake,  after  passing  an 
immense  bar  formed  by  the  enormous  mass  of  sediment- 
ary matter  carried  down  by  its  own  current.  The  land- 
scape, as  seen  from  the  top  of  the  terrace  above  Lewiston, 
is  one  of  the  finest  and  most  extensive  of  its  peculiar 
character  which  can  be  found  on  the  continent,  all  its 
features  being  such  as  appertain  to  a  broad,  open  country. 
The  visitor  at  Niagara,  as  he  looks  at  the  Falls,  will 
have  a  profounder  appreciation  of  their  magnitude  by 
considering  that  it  requires  the  water  drainage  of  a 
quarter  of  a  continent  to  sustain  them,  and  that  the 
remoter  springs,  which  send  to  them  their  constant  trib- 
ute, are  more  than  twelve  hundred  miles  distant. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

Niagara  a  tribal  name  — Other  names  given  to  the  tribe  — The  Niagaras  a 
superior  race — The  true  pronunciation  of  Indian  words. 

THE  name  Niagara  has  been  so  thoroughly  identified 
with    the    river    and    the    Falls    that    the    question 
whether  it  was  also  the  name  of  an  Indian  nation  or  tribe 
has  been  quite    neglected.      It  is  proposed  now  to  give 
the  question  some  consideration,  assuming,  at   once,  its 
affirmative  to  be  true.     This,  it  is  believed,  we  shall  be 
justified    in    doing   by  every  principle   of  analogy.      We 
know  that  it  was  a  general  practice  of  the   Indians  who 
occupied  this   region  of  country,  so  abounding  in  lakes 
and  rivers,  to  give  the  name  of  the  nation  or  tribe  to,  or 
to    name    them    after,   the    most    prominent    bodies    and 
courses  of  water  found  in  their  territory.      Such  was  the 
fact    with    the    Senecas,    Cayugas,   Oneidas,    Onondagas, 
and  Hurons,  the  tribal  name  of  each  being  perpetuated 
both  in  a  lake  and  a  river.      The  Mohawks,  the  warrior 
tribe   of  the   Six   Nations,  having  no   noted   lake  within 
their  boundaries,  left  a  perpetual  memorial  of  themselves 
in  the  name  of  a  beautiful  river.     The  unwarlike  Eries, 
too,   though  finally  exterminated  by  their  more   power- 
ful   and     aggressive     neighbors,    the    Iroquois,    are    still 
remembered  in  the  lake  which  bears  their  name. 


20  NIAGARA. 

With  the  Niagaras  the  river  and  the  cataract  were  the 
most  notable  and  impressive  features  of  their  territory. 
Their  principal  village  bore  the  same  name ;  and  when  we 
recall  the  proverbial  vanity  of  the  race,  we  can  hardly 
doubt  that  this  must  also  have  been  their  tribal  name. 
That  it  should  have  been  perpetuated  in  reference  to  the 
village,  the  river,  and  the  falls,  and  that  the  use  of  it,  in 
reference  to  the  tribe,  should  have  lapsed,  can  be  readily 
understood  when  we  recollect  that  they  had  two  substi- 
tutes for  the  tribal  name.  One  of  these  substitutes  is 
explained  at  page  70  of  the  "Relations"  of  1641, 
in  a  passage  which  we  translate  as  follows :  "  Our  Hurons 
call  the  Neuter  Nation  Attojianderonks,  as  though  they 
would  say  a  people  of  a  little  different  language :  for 
as  to  those  nations  that  speak  a  language  of  which 
they  understand  nothing,  they  call  them  Attoiiankes, 
whatever  nation  they  may  be,  or  as  though  they  spoke 
of  strangers.  They  of  the  Neuter  Nation  in  turn, 
and  for  the  same  reason,  call  our  Hurons  Attoiian- 
deronks." 

Thus  it  would  seem  that  this  was  a  mere  title  of  con- 
venience used  to  indicate  a  certain  fact,  namely,  a  differ- 
ence of  language.  The  other  substitute  by  which  the 
nation  was  best  known  among  their  white  brethren  will 
be  understood  by  an  extract  from  a  letter  contained  in  the 
same  "Relations,"  and  written  from  St.  Mary's  Mission 
on  the  river  Severn,  by  Father  Lalement.  In  it  he  gives 
an  account  of  a  journey  made  by  the  Fathers  Jean  de 
Brebeuf  and  Joseph  Marie  Chaumont  to  the  country  of 
the  Neicter  Nation,  as  the  Niagaras  were  called  by  the 


HISTORY.  2 1 

Hurons  on  the  north  and  the  Iroquois  on  the  south  of 
them,  learning  it,  as  they  did,  from  the  French.  The 
letter  says:  "Our  French,  who  first  discovered  this 
people,  named  them  the  Neuter  Nation,  and  not  without 
reason,  for  their  country  being  the  ordinary  passage  by 
land,  between  some  of  the  Iroquois  nations  and  the 
Hurons,  who  are  sworn  enemies,  they  remained  at  peace 
with  both ;  so  that  in  times  past  the  Hurons  and  the 
Iroquois,  meeting  in  the  same  wigwam  or  village  of  that 
nation,  were  both  in  safety  while  they  remained.  There 
are  some  things  in  which  they  differ  from  our  Hurons. 
They  are  larger,  stronger,  and  better  formed.  They 
also  entertain  a  great  affection  for  the  dead.  *  *  * 
The  Sonontonheronons  [Senecas],  one  of  the  Iroquois 
nations  the  nearest  to  and  most  dreaded  by  the  Hurons, 
are  not  more  than  a  day's  journey  distant  from  the  east- 
ernmost village  of  the  Neuter  Nation,  named  Onguiaahra 
[Niagara],  of  the  same  name  as  the  river." 

It  would  seem,  then,  that  this  name,  Neuter  Nation, 
as  applied  to  this  tribe,  was  an  appellation  used  merely 
to  indicate  a  peculiarity  of  its  location,  or  of  the  rela- 
tion in  which  it  stood  to  the  hostile  tribes  living  to 
the  north  and  south  of  it.  The  Indians,  it  is  needless 
to  say,  were  not  philologists,  and  seem  not  to  have 
objected  to  the  names  applied  to  them,  nor  to  have 
criticised  the  erroneous  pronunciation  of  words  of  their 
own  dialects. 

In  the  extract  given  above,  the  name  of  our  river  first 
appears  in  type.  Its  orthography  will  be  noted  as  pe- 
culiar. It  is  one  of  forty  different  ways  of  spelling  the 
2a 


22  NIAGARA. 

name,  thirty-nine  of  which  are  given  in  the  index  volume 
of  the  Colonial  History  of  New  York,  and  the  fortieth, 
the  most  pertinent  to  our  present  purpose,  in  Drake's 
"Book  of  the  Indians,"  seventh  edition.  Prefixed  to 
"Book  First"  is  a  "Table  of  the  Principal  Tribes,"  in 
which  we  find  the  following: 

"  Nicariagas,  once  about  Michilimakinak  ;  joined  the 
Iroquois  in  1723." 

M.  Charlevoix,  apparently  using  the  facts  stated  in 
one  of  Lalement's  letters  and  quoting  also  a  portion 
of  its  language,  says :  "  A  people  larger,  stronger,  and 
better  formed  than  any  other  savages,  and  who  lived 
south  of  the  Huron  country,  were  visited  by  the 
Jesuits,  who  preached  to  them  the  Kingdom  of  God. 
They  were  called  the  Neuter  Nation,  because  they  took 
no  part  in  the  wars  which  desolated  the  country. 
But  in  the  end  they  could  not  themselves  escape  entire 
destruction.  To  avoid  the  fury  of  the  Iroquois,  they 
finally  joined  them  against  the  Hurons,  but  gained  nothing 
by  the  union."  Later,  he  says  they  were  destroyed 
about  the  year  1643.  But  we  have  before  observed  that 
Father  Raugeneau  states  that  their  destruction  occurred 
in  165  I.  The  tribe  mentioned  by  Drake  was  probably  a 
remnant  that  escaped  in  the  final  overthrow  of  their  nation 
in  this  last-named  year,  and  sought  refuge  at  Mackinaw, 
among  the  Hurons,  who  had  previously  retreated  to  this 
almost  inaccessible  locality,  in  order,  also,  to  escape  from  the 
all-conquering  Iroquois.  After  the  lapse  of  nearly  three- 
quarters  of  a  century,  when  the  hostility  of  the  latter  had 
subsided,  and   they  had   themselves  been  weakened   and 


Opposite  page 


The  Youngest  Inhabitant. 


HISTORY.  23 

subdued  by  the  whites,  the  wretched  remnant  of  the 
Niagaras,  with  that  strong  love  of  home  so  characteristic 
of  the  Indian,  returned  to  their  native  hunting-grounds, 
where  they  remained  for  a  few  years,  and  then  joined  their 
conquerors  in  that  mournful  procession  of  their  race 
toward  the  setting  sun.  If  there  were  a  Nemesis  for 
nations  as  well  as  for  individuals,  it  would  be  fearful  to 
contemplate  the  time  when  the  Anglo-Saxon  should  be 
called  on  to  pay  the  "long  arrears"  of  the  Indians' 
"bloody  debt." 

Returning  to  the  orthography  of  our  name,  we  find 
on  Sanson's  map  of  Canada,  published  in  Paris  in  1657, 
that  it  is  shortened  into  "  Oniagra,"  and  on  Coronelli's 
map  of  the  same  region,  published  in  Paris  in  1688,  it 
crystallizes  into  Niagara.  There  is  also  on  this  map  a 
village  located  on  or  near  the  site  of  Buffalo,  designated 
as  follows :  "  Kah-kou-a-go-gah,  a  destroyed  nation^ 
This  name  bears  a  closer  resemblance  to  the  true  one 
than  several  of  the  forty  to  which  we  have  just  referred, 
and  if  it  be  reduced  to  Kahkwa  it  would  still  be  only 
a  corrupt  abbreviation  of  Niagara. 

More  than  fifty  years  ago,  while  leisurely  traveling 
through  western  New  York,  the  writer  well  remembers 
how  his  youthful  ears  were  charmed  with  the  flowing 
cadences  of  the  better  class  of  Indians,  as  they  intoned 
rather  than  spoke  the  beautiful  names  which  their 
ancestors  had  given  to  different  localities.  Every  vowel 
was  fully  sounded. 

O-N-E-I-D-A  was  then  Oh-ne-i-dah;  C-A-Y-U-G-A 
was    Kah-yu-gah;     G-E-N-E-S-E-E    was    Gen-e-se-e; 


24  NIAGARA. 

C-A-N-A-N-D-A-I-G-U-A  was  Kan-nan-dar-quah, 
and  N-I-A-G-A-R-A  was  Ni-ah-gah-rah. 

In  regard  to  the  name,  the  pronunciation  nearest  to 
the  original  which  it  may  be  possible  to  perpetuate  is  Ni- 
ag-a-rah ;  the  accent  on  the  second  syllable,  the  vowel  in 
the  first  pronounced  as  in  the  word  nigh;  the  a  in  the 
third  and  fourth  syllables  but  slightly  abbreviated  from 
the  long  a  in  far,  and  that  in  the  second  syllable  but 
slightly  aspirated. 


CHAPTER  V. 

The  lower  Niagara — Fort  Niagara — Fort  Mississauga  —  Niagara  Village  — 
Lewiston  —  Portage  around  the  Falls  —  The  first  railroad  in  the  United 
States — Fort  Schlosser  —  The  ambuscade  at  Devil's  Hole  —  La  Salle's 
vessel,  the  Griffin  —  The  Niagara  frontier. 

FROM  the  earliest  visit  of  the  French  missionaries 
and  voyageurs  to  the  lake  region,  the  banks  of  the 
lower  Niagara  were  to  them  a  favorite  locality.  Very- 
early  they  were  cleared  of  the  grand  forest  which  covered 
them,  and  the  genial,  fertile,  and  easily  worked  soil,  en- 
riched by  the  deep  vegetable  mold  that  had  been  accu- 
mulating upon  it  for  centuries,  produced  in  lavish  abun- 
dance wheat,  maize,  garden  vegetables,  and  fruits,  large 
and  small.  "  On  the  6th  day  of  December,  1678,"  says 
Marshall,  "  La  Salle,  in  his  brigantine  of  ten  tons,  doubled 
the  point  where  Fort  Niagara  now  stands,  and  anchored 
in  the  sheltered  waters  of  the  river.  The  prosecution  of 
his  bold  enterprise  at  that  inclement  season,  involving  the 
exploration  of  a  vast  and  unknown  country,  in  vessels 
built  on  the  way,  indicates  the  indomitable  energy  and 
self-reliance  of  the  intrepid  discoverer.  His  crew  con- 
sisted of  sixteen  persons,  under  the  immediate  command  of 
the  Sieur  de  la  Motte.  The  grateful  Franciscans  chanted 
'  Te  Deicm  laudam7is  '  as  they  entered  the  noble  river. 
The  strains  of  that  ancient  hymn  of  the  Church,  as  they 


26  NIAGARA. 

rose  from  the  deck  of  the  adventurous  bark,  and  echoed 
from  shore  and  forest,  must  have  startled  the  watchful 
Senecas  with  the  unusual  sound,  as  they  gazed  upon 
their  strange  visitors.  Never  before  had  white  men,  so 
far  as  history  tells  us,  ascended  the  river." 

La  Salle  rested  here  for  a  time,  but  no  defensive  work 
was  constructed  until  1687,  when  the  Marquis  De  Non- 
ville,  returning  from  his  famous  expedition  against  the 
Senecas,  fortified  it,  after  the  fashion  of  the  time,  with 
palisades  and  ditches.  The  small  garrison  of  one  hundred 
men  which  he  left  were  obliged  to  abandon  it  the  follow- 
ing season,  after  partially  destroying  it.  By  consent  of 
the  Iroquois  it  was  reconstructed  in  stone  in  1725-6. 

Opposite  to  Fort  Niagara,  which  is  on  the  Ameri- 
can side  at  the  mouth  of  the  river,  are  Fort  Missis- 
sauga  and  the  village  of  Niagara,  formerly  Newark,  on 
the  Canadian  side.  The  village  was  captured  by  the 
English  in  1759,  and  occupied  for  a  time  by  Sir 
William  Johnson,  who  completed  here  his  treaty  with 
the  Indians  by  which  they  released  to  him  the  land 
on  both  sides  of  the  river.  The  first  Provincial  Par- 
liament was  held  here  in  1792,  under  the  authority  of 
Lieutenant-Governor  Simcoe.  In  the  same  year  the  place 
was  visited  by  the  father  of  Queen  Victoria.  The  pioneer 
newspaper  of  the  Province  was  published  here  in  1795,  and 
although  it  ceased  soon  after  to  be  the  seat  of  government, 
which  was  removed  to  York  (now  Toronto),  still  it  was  a 
thriving  village  of  about  five  thousand  inhabitants  until 
the  completion  of  the  Welland  canal,  which  entirely  di- 
verted its  trade  and  commerce,  and  left  it  to  the  uninter- 
rupted quiet  of  a   rural   town.      Several   Americans  have 


HISTORY.  27 

purchased  dwellings  in  the  place  for  summer  occupation. 
A  mile  above  was  Fort  George,  now  a  ruin. 

Seven  miles  above  the  mouth  of  the  river,  at  the  head 
of  navigation,  nestling  at  the  foot  of  the  so-called  mount- 
ain, is  Lewiston,  named  in  1805  in  honor  of  Governor 
Lewis,  of  New  York.  Here,  in  1678,  La  Salle  "  con- 
structed a  cabin  of  palisades  to  serve  as  a  magazine  or 
storehouse."  And  this  was  the  commencement  of  the 
portage  to  the  river  above  the  Falls,  which  passed  over 
nearly  the  same  route  as  the  present  road  from  Lewiston, 
which  is  still  called  the  Portage  Road.  Here,  too,  the 
first  railway  in  the  United  States  was  constructed.  True, 
it  was  built  of  wood,  and  was  called  a  tram-way.  But  a 
car  was  run  upon  it  to  transport  goods  up  and  down  the 
mountain  The  motion  of  the  car  was  regulated  by  a 
windlass,  and  it  was  supported  on  runners  instead  of 
wheels.  This  was  a  very  good  arrangement  for  getting 
freight  down  the  hill,  but  not  so  good  for  getting  it  up. 
But  the  wages  of  labor  were  low  in  every  sense,  since 
many  of  the  Indians,  demoralized  by  the  use  of  those 
two  most  pestilent  drugs,  rum  and  tobacco,  would  do 
a  day's  work  for  a  pint  of  the  former  and  a  plug  of  the 
latter. 

The  upper  terminus  of  this  portage  was  for  many 
years  merely  an  open  landing-place  for  canoes  and  boats. 
In  1750,  the  French  constructed  a  strong  stockade-work 
on  the  bank  of  the  river,  above  their  barracks  and  store- 
houses. This  they  called  Fort  du  Portage.  It  was  burnt, 
in  1759,  by  Chabert  Joncaire,  who  was  in  command  of  it 
when  the  British  commenced  the  formidable  and  fatal 
campaign  of  that  year  against  the  French.     After  Fort 


28  NIAGARA. 

Niagara  was  surrendered  to  Sir  William  Johnson,  Joncaire 
retired  with  his  small  garrison  to  the  station  on  Chippewa 
Creek. 

In  less  than  two  years  the  work  was  rebuilt  in  a  much 
more  substantial  manner  by  Captain  Joseph  Schlosser,  a 
German  who  served  in  the  British  army  in  that  campaign. 
It  had  the  outline  of  a  tolerably  regular  fortification,  with 
rude  bastions  and  connecting  curtains,  surrounded  by  a 
somewhat  formidable  ditch.  The  interior  plateau  was  a 
little  elevated  and  surrounded  by  an  earth  embankment 
piled  against  the  inner  side  of  the  palisades,  over  which  its 
defenders  could  fire  with  great  effect. 

When  the  writer  first  saw  its  remains,  the  outlines  and 
ditches  of  the  work  were  distinct.  Only  some  slight 
inequalities  in  the  surface  now  indicate  its  site.  Captain 
Schlosser  was  afterward  promoted  to  the  rank  of  colonel, 
and  died  in  the  fort.  An  oak  slab,  on  which  his  name 
was  cut,  was  standing  at  his  grave  just  above  the  fort  as 
late  as  the  year  1808. 

Some  sixty  rods  below  is  still  standing  what  is  believed 
to  be  the  first  civilized  chimney  built  in  this  part  of  the 
country.  It  is  a  large  and  most  substantial  stone  struct- 
ure, around  which  the  French  built  their  barracks.  These 
were  burnt  by  Joncaire  on  his  retreat.  A  large  dwelling- 
house  was  built  to  it  by  the  English,  which  afforded  shel- 
ter for  many  different  occupants  until  it  was  burnt  in  181 3. 
Its  last  occupant,  before  it  was  destroyed,  kept  it  as  a 
tavern,  which  became  a  favorite  place  for  festive  and  holi- 
day gatherings.  What  hath  been  may  be  again.  When  the 
Falls  shall  have  receded  two  miles,  the  brides  and  grooms 


Mouth  of  tht   C  hasm,  and  Brock  s   Monument. 

Opposite  page  29. 


HISTORY.  29 

of  that  age  will  find  their  Cataract  House  near  the  site  of 
old  Fort  Schlosser. 

To  the  west  of  this  old  stone  chimney  stand  the  few 
surviving  trees  of  the  first  apple  orchard  set  out  in  this 
region.  As  early  as  1796,  it  is  described  as  being  a  "well- 
fenced  orchard,  containing  1 200  trees."  Not  fifty  are  now 
standing. 

Across  the  river  from  Lewiston  is  Queenston,  so  named 
in  honor  of  Queen  Charlotte.  The  battle  which  bears  its 
name  was  fought  on  the  13th  of  October,  18 13,  between 
the  American  and  British  armies.  The  former  crossed  the 
river,  made  the  attack,  and  carried  the  heights.  The  com- 
mander of  the  British  forces,  General  Brock,  and  one  of 
his  aids,  Colonel  McDonald,  were  killed.  The  British 
were  reenforced,  and  the  American  militia  refusing  to  cross 
over  to  aid  the  Americans,  the  latter  were  obliged  to 
return  across  the  river,  leaving  a  number  of  prisoners  in 
the  hands  of  the  enemy.  Some  years  afterward,  the  Colo- 
nial Parliament  caused  a  fine  monument  to  be  erected  on 
the  heights  to  the  memory  of  General  Brock.  It  presents 
a  conspicuous  and  imposing  appearance  from  the  terrace 
below. 

Two  miles  and  a  quarter  above  Lewiston  is  the  Devil's 
Hole,  famous  as  the  scene  of  a  short  supplementary  cam- 
paign, made  against  the  English,  by  the  Seneca  Indians, 
in  1763.  Though  doubtless  instigated  by  French  traders, 
it  was  a  purely  Indian  enterprise,  gotten  up  among 
themselves,  and  commanded  by  Farmer's  Brother,  one  of 
the  Seneca  chiefs,  who  was  a  fighter  as  well  as  an  orator.  It 
was  one  of  the  best  planned  and  most  successfully  exe- 


30  NIAGARA. 

cuted  military  stratagems  ever  recorded.  It  was  calculated 
upon  the  nicest  balancing  of  facts  and  probabilities,  and 
executed  with  unrivaled  thoroughness  and  celerity. 

It  was  known  to  the  Indians  that  the  English  were  in 
the  habit,  almost  daily,  of  sending  supply  trains,  under 
escort,  from  Fort  Niagara  to  Fort  Schlosser.  After  unload- 
ing at  the  latter  post,  they  returned  to  the  former.  They 
knew  also  that  there  was  a  smaller  supporting  force  of  one 
or  two  companies  at  Lewiston,  which  could  join  the  escort 
from  Fort  Niagara,  in  case  of  an  extra  valuable  train,  and 
that  the  whole  force  at  both  places  was  not  large  enough 
to  furnish  an  escort  of  more  than  four  hundred  men;  they 
knew  that  the  narrow  pass  at  the  Devil's  Hole  was  the 
best  point  to  place  the  ambuscade  ;  also  that  when  the 
train  went  up  they  could  see  whether  its  escort  was  large  or 
small,  and  so  they  would  know  whether  they  should  con- 
centrate their  force  to  attack  the  larger  escort,  or  divide 
it  and  attack  the  train  and  small  escort  first  and  the  reliev- 
ing force  afterward.  They  conjectured  that  the  train  would 
have  a  small  escort ;  but  if  it  should  have  a  large  one,  so 
much  the  better,  as  there  would  be  a  larger  number  in 
a  small  space  for  their  balls  to  riddle.  They  conjectured 
also  that,  if  the  escort  were  small,  the  firing  on  the  first 
attack  would  be  heard  by  the  soldiers  at  Lewiston,  and 
that  they  would  hurry  to  the  relief  of  their  comrades, 
not  dreaming  of  danger  before  they  should  reach  them. 

The  fatal  result  demonstrated  the  correctness  of  their 
reasoning.  They  made  a  double  ambuscade  :  one  for  the 
train  and  escort,  the  other  for  the  relieving  force  ;  and 
they  destroyed  them  both,  only  three  of  the  first  escaping 
and  eight  of  the  latter.      This  event  occurred  on  the  14th 


HISTORY.  3 1 

of  September,  1773.  John  Stedman  commanded  the 
supply  train.  At  the  first  fire  of  the  Indians,  seeing  the 
fatal  snare,  he  wheeled  his  horse  at  once,  and,  spurring 
him  through  a  gauntlet  of  bullets,  reached  Schlosser  in 
safety.  A  wounded  soldier  concealed  himself  in  the 
bushes,  and  the  drummer-boy  lodged  in  a  tree  as  he 
fell  down  the  bank.  Eight  of  the  relieving  force  escaped 
to  Fort  Niagara  to  tell  the  story  of  their  defeat. 

Three  miles  above  Schlosser  is  Cayuga  Creek,  near 
the  mouth  of  which  La  Salle  built  the  Griffin,  a  vessel  of 
sixty  tons  burden,  the  first  civilized  craft  that  floated  on 
the  upper  lakes,  and  the  pioneer  of  an  inland  commerce 
of  unrivaled  growth  and  value.  She  reached  Green  Bay 
safely,  but  on  her  return  voyage  foundered  with  all  en 
board  in  Lake  Huron. 

The  French  also  built  some  small  vessels  on  Navy 
Island.  The  reenforcements  sent  from  Venango  for  the 
French,  during  the  siege  of  Fort  Niagara  by  Sir  William 
Johnson,  in  1759,  were  landed  on  this  island.  To  the 
east  of  it  there  is  a  large  deep  basin,  formed  at  the  foot 
of  the  channel,  between  Grand  and  Buckhorn  islands. 
The  upper  part  of  this  channel  being  narrow,  the  basin 
appears  like  a  bay.  In  this  bay  the  French  burnt  and 
sunk  the  two  vessels,  as  is  supposed,  which  brought 
down  the  Venango  reenforcements ;  hence  the  name 
"Burnt  Ship  Bay."  The  writer  has  seen  the  ribs  and 
timbers  of  these  vessels  beneath  the  water,  and  caught 
many  fine  perch  which  had  their  haunts  near  them.  The 
Niagara  frontier  was  the  theater  of  great  activity  during 
the  War  of  18 12. 


PART  II.— GEOLOGY. 


CHAPTER    VI. 

America  the  old  world  —  Geologically  recent  origin  of  the  Falls  —  Evidence 
thereof — Captain  Williams's  surveys  for  a  ship  canal — Former  extent  of 
Lake  Michigan  —  Its  outlet  into  the  Illinois  River  —  The  Niagara  barrier 
—  How  broken  through — The  birth  of  Niagara. 

IF  Professor  Agassiz  and  Elie  De  Beaumont  are  cor- 
rect in  their  geological  reading,  America  is  the  old 
world  rather  than  the  new,  and  the  northern  portion  of 
it,  stretching  from  Lake  Huron  eastward  to  Labrador  and 
northward  toward  the  Arctic,  was  the  first  to  be  lifted  into 
the  genial  light  of  the  sun.  And  Professor  Lyell  has  re- 
course to  the  vast  stellar  spaces  for  a  standard  by  which 
to  estimate  "  the  interval  of  time  which  divides  the  human 
epoch  from  the  origin  of  the  coralline  limestone  over 
which  the  Niagara  is  precipitated  at  the  Falls."  "The 
Alps,  the  Pyrenees,  the  Himalayas,"  he  continues,  "have 
not  only  begun  to  exist  as  lofty  mountain  chains,  but  the 
solid  materials  of  which  they  are  composed  have  been 
slowly  elaborated  beneath  the  sea  within  the  stupendous 
interval  of  ages  here  alluded  to." 

A  little  more  than  thirty  years  ago,  Professor  Agassiz 


GEOLOGY.  33 

made  a  tour  to  the  Upper  Lakes  with  a  class  of  students, 
for  the  purpose  of  giving  them  practical  lessons  in 
geology  and  other  branches  of  natural  science.  The 
day  was  devoted  to  outdoor  examinations  of  different 
localities,  and  in  the  evening  was  given  a  familiar  lecture 
expository  of  the  day's  work.  One  of  the  places  thus 
visited  was  Niagara,  and  it  was  the  writer's  good- 
fortune  to  be  able  to  listen  to  the  instructive  lecture  which 
followed  the  examination.  Professor  Agassiz  concurs 
with  other  geologists  in  the  opinion  that  the  Falls  were 
once  at  Lewiston,  and  one  of  the  most  interesting  portions 
of  the  lecture  was  his  animated  description  of  the  retroces- 
sion of  the  Falls,  traced  step  by  step  back  to  their  present 
position.  From  this  oral  exposition,  from  other  high  geo- 
logical authorities,  and  from  personal  observation  extend- 
ing through  a  quarter  of  a  century,  the  writer  has  derived 
the  facts  herein  presented. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  at  a  comparatively  recent 
geological  period  the  Falls  of  Niagara  had  no  existence. 
It  may  suffice  to  mention  two  facts  which  are  conclusive 
on  this  point.  Dr.  Houghton,  geologist  of  the  State  of 
Michigan,  stated  in  his  report  that  the  elevation  of  Lake 
Michigan  above  tide-water  is  five  hundred  and  seventy- 
eight  feet.  That  of  Lake  Erie,  as  shown  by  the  surveys 
of  the  Erie  Canal,  is  five  hundred  and  sixty-eight  feet,  the 
clifTerence  of  level  between  the  two  being  ten  feet.  The 
fall  or  descent  in  the  Niagara  River  from  Lake  Erie  to 
Gill  Creek,  a  few  rods  above  the  site  of  old  Fort  Schlosser, 
is  twenty  feet.  Hence  we  learn  that  the  surface  of  the 
water  in  Lake  Michigan  is  thirty  feet  higher  than  that 
3 


34  NIAGARA. 

of  the  Niagara  River  near  the  mouth  of  Gill  Creek.  If, 
therefore,  we  find  anywhere  below  the  Falls  a  barrier 
drawn  across  this  river  that  is  more  than  thirty  feet  high, 
its  water  would  thereby  be  set  back  to  Lake  Michigan. 
A  moderate  elevation  above  this  thirty  feet  would  serve 
as  a  safe  shore-line  for  still  water. 

The  existence  of  this  barrier  has  been  demonstrated. 
In  the  year  1835,  t>y  direction  of  the  War  Department, 
Captain  W.  G.  Williams,  of  the  United  States  Topograph- 
ical Engineers,  surveyed  three  routes  for  a  canal  around 
Niagara  Falls.  The  first  of  these  routes  was  run  from  the 
river  nearly  in  a  straight  line  to  the  head  of  Bloody  Run, 
and  thence  a  portion  of  the  way  over  the  terrace  laid  bare 
by  the  rapid  subsidence  of  the  water  after  the  barrier  had 
been  broken  through.  The  second  route,  commencing  at 
the  same  point  with  the  first, —  the  old  Schlosser  Store- 
house, just  above  Gill  Creek, —  was  run  up  the  valley  of 
the  creek,  through  the  ridge  above  Lewiston,  at  a  slight 
depression  in  the  general  line  of  the  hill,  and  thence  to 
Lake  Ontario  by  two  difierent  routes.  The  highest  point 
in  the  ridge  was  found  to  be  sixty  feet  above  the  surface 
of  the  water  in  the  river  at  the  starting  point.  Here,  then, 
is  found  the  requisite  barrier — a  dam  thirty  feet  higher 
than  the  water  in  Lake  Michigan,  and  having  a  base,  as 
will  be  seen  by  reference  to  the  map,  of  two  and  a  half 
miles  in  breadth.  This  was  its  breadth  at  the  time  of  the 
survey.  But  a  careful  observance  of  the  topography  of 
the  banks  on  both  sides  of  the  river  will  show  that  it  must 
have  been  originally  not  less  than  twice  that  breadth,  and 
that  the  depressions  now  existing  are  the  results  of  the 
denudation  caused  by  the  removal  of  the  barrier. 


GEOLOGY.  35 

While  this  barrier  was  unbroken,  Lake  Erie  as  extended 
would  have  covered  all  land  that  was  not  twenty-six  feet 
higher  than  the  present  level  of  the  river  at  old  Schlosser 
landing,  since  the  water  there  is  sixteen  feet  below  the 
level  of  Lake  Erie.  It  is  not  difficult  to  trace  this  barrier 
on  a  good  map.  From  old  Fort  Grey  it  stretches  east- 
ward a  short  distance  past  Batavia,  and  thence  turns  to 
the  south  through  Wyoming  into  Cattaraugus  County. 
In  the  latter  county  it  forms  the  summit  level  of  the 
Genesee  Valley  Canal.  This  summit  is  a  swamp  sixteen 
hundred  and  twenty-three  feet  above  tide  water,  and  the 
water  runs  from  it  northerly  through  the  Genesee  River 
into  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence,  and  southerly,  through  the 
Alleghany,  into  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  while  within  a  short 
distance  rises  Cattaraugus  Creek  which  flows  west  into 
Lake  Erie. 

The  gradual  rise  of  the  Niagara  barrier  as  it  extends 
to  the  east  was  demonstrated  by  the  surveys  of  Captain 
Williams.  By  the  Gill  Creek  line  to  Lewiston  he  found  its 
elevation  above  the  river,  as  has  been  stated,  to  be  sixty 
feet.  By  the  Cayuga  Creek  line  to  Pekin  it  was  sixty- 
four  feet,  and  by  the  Tonawanda  Creek  line  to  Lockport 
it  was  eighty-four  feet,  as  is  also  shown  by  the  surveys  of 
the  Erie  Canal. 

To  the  west  the  barrier  extends  from  Brock's  Monu- 
ment to  the  ridge  which  bounds  the  westerly  side  of  the 
valley  of  the  Chippewa  Creek,  and  thence  around  the 
head  of  Lake  Ontario  into  the  Simcoe  Hills. 

At  that  period  all  the  islands  in  the  Niagara  River 
valley  were  submerged.  The  lower  sections  of  the  valleys 
of  the  Chippewa,  Cayuga,  Tonawanda,  and  Buffalo  creeks 


S6  NIAGARA. 

were  also  submerged.  The  site  of  Buffalo  was,  probably, 
a  small  island,  and  many  other  similar  islands  were  scat- 
tered over  the  broad  expanse  of  water. 

And  this  brings  us  to  our  second  cardinal  fact.  Lake 
Michigan,  having  absorbed  or  spread  over  all  the  vast 
water-links  in  the  great  chain  between  Superior  and 
Ontario,  was  the  most  stupendous  body  of  fresh  water 
on  the  globe.  Its  drainage  was  to  the  south,  through  the 
valleys  of  the  Des  Plaines,  Kankakee,  Illinois,  and  Missis- 
sippi rivers,  into  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  The  evidence  of 
this  fact  is  abundant.  The  survey  of  the  Illinois  Central 
Railroad  shows  that  the  surface  of  Lake  Michigan  is  three 
hundred  feet  above  the  line  of  low  water  in  the  Ohio 
River  at  Cairo,  where  it  joins  the  Mississippi.  It  also 
shows  that  the  low-water  line  of  the  Kankakee,  where 
the  railroad  crosses  it,  is  eleven  feet  above  the  surface  of 
the  lake.  This  river,  which  forms  the  north-eastern 
branch  of  the  Illinois,  rises  in  the  State  of  Indiana,  near 
South  Bend,  two  miles  from  the  St.  Joseph.  From  its 
very  commencement  at  its  head-springs  it  is  a  shallow 
channel  in  the  middle  of  a  swamp, — called  on  the  maps 
the  "Kankakee  Pond," — nearly  a  hundred  miles  long, 
and  from  two  to  five  miles  wide.  On  its  north  side,  in 
Porter  County,  is  a  broad  cove,  with  a  small  stream  in 
the  midst  of  it,  which  reaches  up  due  north  to  within  a 
stone's-throw  of  the  south  branch  of  the  East  Calumick 
River,  which  empties  into  the  south-west  corner  of  Lake 
Michigan. 

More  than  thirty  years  ago,  while  traveling  by  stage 
from  Logansport,  Indiana,  to  Chicago,  the  writer  was 
told  by  a  fellow-passenger  that   it  was   not  an   unusual 


GEOLOGY.  37 

thing,  on  the  occurrence  of  a  strong  north  wind  during 
the  spring  floods,  to  cross  with  boats  from  this  branch  of 
the  East  Calumick  into  the  Kankakee  Pond  through  this 
cove.  We  have  not  been  able  to  obtain  any  authentic 
topographical  survey  which  shows  the  elevation  that 
must  be  overcome  in  order  to  effect  this  meeting  of  the 
waters. 

Again  :  The  river  Des  Plaines  rises  near  the  northern 
line  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  and  running  south  parallel 
with  the  lake  shore,  at  its  junction  with  the  Kankakee 
forms  the  Illinois.  The  Des  Plaines  is  only  ten  miles  west 
of  Chicago.  One  of  its  eastern  tributaries  rises  very  near 
the  head-waters  of  the  south  branch  of  the  Chicago 
River,  and  often,  when  flooded  by  heavy  rains,  its  waters 
flow  over  into  the  lake.  At  this  point,  also,  the  Jesuits 
and  the  early  settlers  were  in  the  habit  of  crossing  in 
their  boats  to  the  Des  Plaines,  and  thence  into  the  Illinois. 
The  writer  was  informed  by  Colonel  William  A.  Bird,  the 
last  Surveyor-in-Chief  of  the  Boundary  Commission,  that 
when  the  party  was  at  Mackinaw,  in  the  spring  of  1820, 
Mr.  Ramsey  Crooks,  the  adventurous  and  enterprising 
agent  of  John  Jacob  Astor,  came  up  to  that  place  from 
Joliet  on  the  Illinois  in  one  of  the  big  canoes  so  gener- 
ally used  at  that  day  for  navigating  the  lakes,  and  that 
Mr.  Crooks  informed  them  that  he  crossed  from  the  Des 
Plaines  into  Lake  Michigan  without  taking  his  canoe  out 
of  the  water.  The  deep  cut  in  the  Illinois  and  Michigan 
Canal,  recently  excavated  by  the  city  of  Chicago  in  order 
to  improve  its  sewer  drainage,  is  quite  uniform  at  its  up- 
per surface,  and  is  sixteen  to  eighteen  feet  deep  for  a  dis- 
tance of  twenty-six  miles.  The  bottom  of  this  cut  is  six 
3a 


38  NIAGARA. 

feet  below  the  lowest  water- mark  ever  noted  in  the  lake. 
At  the  point  where  the  deep  cut  reaches  the  Des  Plaines, 
it  is  ten  feet  lower  than  the  bottom  of  the  river.  It  is 
sixteen  miles  further  down  before  the  bottom  of  the  cut 
and  the  river  coincide  with  each  other.  Nearly  the  whole 
of  this  distance  it  is  necessary  to  maintain  a  guard-bank, 
to  protect  the  canal  from  the  inundations  of  the  river. 
Here  we  find  there  is  a  dam,  only  about  twelve  feet  high, 
that  once  separated  the  waters  of  the  lake  from  those  of 
the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 

There  were,  therefore,  two  courses  through  which  the 
waters  of  Lake  Michigan  could  once  have  passed  into  the 
Illinois  —  the  first  through  the  Des  Plaines,  and  the  second 
from  the  head-springs  of  the  East  Calumick  into  the 
great  north  cove  of  the  Kankakee  Pond.  When  we  con- 
sider the  immense  drainage  which  must  have  been  dis- 
charged through  these  channels  into  the  valley  of  the 
Illinois,  we  can  well  understand  the  gigantic  proportions 
of  that  valley  when  compared  with  the  stream  which  now 
flows  through  it.  The  perpendicular  and  water-worn 
sides  of  Starved  Rock,  below  Ottawa,  attest  the  magni- 
tude of  the  lake-like  floods  which  must  once  have  dashed 
around  them. 

Having  established  the  existence  of  the  Niagara  bar- 
rier, it  remains  to  analyze  its  structure,  and  then  to  search 
out  the  agencies  by  which  it  was  broken  down.  First, 
in  regard  to  its  organization.  An  examination  of  the 
locality  reveals  the  fact  that  the  portion  of  the  ridge 
lying  between  old  Fort  Grey  and  Brock's  Monument  was 
of  a  peculiar  character.  At  the  former  point  the  hard, 
compact  clay  had  in  it  but  a  slight  mixture  of  gray  loam 


GEOLOGY.  39 

and  sand.  At  the  latter  point,  fine  gravel  was  plentifully 
mingled  with  this  loam.  This  latter  mass,  being  quite 
porous,  would  rapidly  become  saturated  with  water,  and 
its  component  parts  be  easily  separated.  The  decliv- 
ity of  the  high,  hard,  clay  bank,  down  to  the  rock  at 
the  edge  of  the  precipice,  is  abrupt  on  the  American 
side,  while  on  the  opposite  side  the  ascent  toward 
Brock's  Monument  and  above  is  gradual.  This  forma- 
tion extends  upward  about  one  mile  and  a  half,  when  the 
gravel  and  loam  disappear,  and  the  hard  clay  succeeds 
and  continues  upward  with  a  gradual  downward  slope 
nearly  to  the  Falls. 

This  upper  drift  was  about  twenty  feet  thick,  and  rested 
on  a  laminated  stratum  of  the  Niagara  limestone.  This 
stratum,  though  quite  compact,  and  having  its  seams 
closely  jointed,  was  not  so  thoroughly  indurated  as  the 
lower  strata  of  the  Niagara  group,  and  its  thin  plates 
were  more  easily  displaced  and  broken  up.  The  depres- 
sion marked  in  the  sixth  mile  of  the  profile  referred  to 
was  evidently  cut  out  by  the  waters  of  Fish  Creek,  after 
the  barrier  had  been  removed,  since  the  land  near  the 
head-waters  of  this  stream  is  higher  than  at  the  point 
where  the  line  runs  through  the  ridge.  It  is  also  notice- 
able that  the  ridge,  at  this  point,  approaches  the  brink  of 
the  escarpment  more  nearly  than  at  any  other,  and  the 
sharp  declivity  of  its  northern  face  is  clearly  shown  on 
the  profile  in  the  accompanying  map. 

Within  the  last  century  there  have  been  two,  and  per- 
haps more,  large  tidal  waves  on  the  Great  Lakes.  There 
have  also  been  many  severe  gales,  which  have  inundated 
the  low  lands  around  their  shores,  and  attacked,  with  de- 


40  NIAGARA. 

structive  effect,  their  higher  banks.  One  of  these  gales 
is  mentioned  in  another  place.  It  came  from  about  two 
points  north  of  west,  and,  as  noted,  raised  the  water  six 
feet  on  the  rapids  above  the  Falls.  In  the  narrow  por- 
tions of  the  river  above,  it  must  have  elevated  the  water 
still  more.  Of  course  a  much  higher  rise  would  have 
been  produced  by  the  force  of  such  a  gale  acting  upon 
the  vastly  increased  surface  of  the  larger  lake. 

The  first  serious  impression  upon  the  Niagara  barrier 
must  have  been  made  by  these  two  mighty  forces.  By 
them,  undoubtedly,  was  made  the  first  breach  over  its 
top,  thus  commencing  that  slow  but  sure  denudation 
which  finally  reached  the  rock  below.  And  by  their  aid 
even  the  rock  itself  was  removed. 

Here,  then,  is  the  composition  and  structure  of  our 
dam.  It  is  thirty  feet  high,  with  a  base  two  and  a  half 
miles  certainly,  and  probably  five,  in  width.  How  to 
break  through  it  is  the  problem  to  be  solved  by  the  great 
inland  sea  which  laves  it,  so  that  the  water  may  flow 
onward   and    downward  to  the  Atlantic. 

Fortunately  we  have,  all  along  the  shores  of  our  inland 
lakes,  an  annual  demonstration  of  the  method  by  which 
such  problems  are  solved.  A  constant  abrasion  of  their 
banks  is  produced  by  the  action  of  water,  frost,  and  ice. 
And  these  are  the  resistless  elements  which,  by  their 
persistent  and  powerful  action  during  the  lapse  of  ages, 
excavated  a  channel  for  the  waters  of  the  Niagara.  The 
gradual  upward  slope  of  the  rock  and  the  thick  upper 
drift  broke  the  force  of  the  huge  waves  that  were  oc- 
casionally dashed  upon  them.      Their  position  could   not 


GEOLOGY.  41 

have  been  more  favorable  to  resist  attack.  It  was  a 
Malakoff  of  earth  on  a  foundation  of  rock.  Little  by  httle 
the  refluent  waves  carried  back  portions  of  the  crumbled 
mass,  and  deposited  them  in  the  neighboring  depres- 
sions. Slowly,  wearily,  desultorily,  the  erosion  and  des- 
quamation went  on.  At  last  the  upper  drift  was  broken 
down,  and  its  crumbled  remains  were  swept  from  the 
rock. 

Then  the  insidious  forces  of  heat  and  cold,  sun  and 
frost  became  potent.  The  thin  laminae  of  limestone  were 
loosened  by  the  frost,  broken  up  and  disintegrated.  At 
last  a  thin  sheet  of  water  was  driven  through  the  gorge  by 
some  fierce  gale.  ••  The  steep  declivity  of  the  counterscarp 
was  then  fatally  attacked,  and  after  a  time  its  perpen- 
dicular face  was  laid  bare.  Thenceforth  the  elements  had 
the  top  and  one  end  of  the  rocky  mass  to  work  on,  and 
they  worked  at  a  tremendous  advantage.  The  breaking 
up  and  disintegration  of  the  rock  went  on.  It  was  gradu- 
ally crumbled  into  sand,  which  was  washed  off  by  the 
rains  or  swept  away  by  the  winds.  Finally  a  channel 
was  excavated,  of  which  the  bottom  was  lower  than  the 
surface  of  the  great  lake  above ;  the  sparkling  waters 
rushed  in,  dashed  over  the  precipice,  and  Niagara  was 
born. 

As  the  water  worked  its  way  over  the  precipice 
gradually,  so  it  would  gradually  excavate  its  channel 
to  Lake  Ontario,  and  it  is  not  probable  that  any  great 
inundation  of  the  lower  terrace  could  have  occurred. 


CHAPTER    VII. 


Composition  of  the  terrace  cut  through — Why  retrocession  is  possible  — 
Three  sections  from  Lewiston  to  the  Falls  —  Devil's  Hole  —  The  Medina 
group  —  Recession  long  checked  —  The  Whirlpool  —  The  narrowest  part 
of  the  river  —  The  mirror  —  Depth  of  the  water  in  the  chasm — Former 
grand  Fall. 

THE  water  having  laid  bare  the  face  of  the  mountain 
barrier  from  top  to  bottom,  we  are  enabled  to  exam- 
ine the  composition  of  the  mass  through  which  it  slowly 
cut  its  way.  After  removing  the  thin  plates  of  the  upper 
stratum,  as  we  descend,  according  to  Professor  Hall,  we 
find: 

1.  Niagara  limestone  —  compact  and  geodiferous. 

2.  Soft  argillo-calcareous  shale. 

-  3.    Compact  gray  limestone. 

-  4.   Thin  layers  of  green  shale. 

5.  Gray    and    mottled     sandstone,   constituting    with 
those  below  the  Medina  group. 

6.  Red  shale  and  marl,  with  thin  courses  of  sandstone 
near  the  top. 

7.  Gray  quartzose  sandstone. 

8.  Red  shaly  sandstone  and  marl. 

Before    reaching    the   Whirlpool    the    mass    becomes, 
practically,  resolved   into   numbers  three,  four,  and  five, 


GEOLOGY.  43 

the  limestone,  as  a  general  rule,  growing  thicker  and 
harder,  and  the  shale  also,  as  we  follow  up  the  stream. 

The  reason  why  retrocession  of  the  Falls  is  possible 
is  found  in  the  occurrence  of  the  shale  noted  above  as 
underlying  the  rock.  It  is  a  species  of  indurated  clay, 
harder  or  softer  according  to  the  pressure  to  which  it 
may  have  been  subjected.  When  protected  from  the 
action  of  the  elements  it;  retains  its  hardness,  but  when 
exposed  to  them  it  gradually  softens  and  crumbles  away. 
After  a  time  the  superstratum  of  rock,  which  is  full  of 
cracks  and  seams,  is  undermined  and  precipitated  into 
the  chasm  below.  If  the  stratum  of  shale  lies  at  or  near 
the  bottom  of  the  channel  below  the  Falls,  it  will  be 
measurably  protected  from  the  action  of  the  elements. 
In  this  case  retrocession  will  necessarily  be  very  gradual. 
If  above  the  Falls  the  shale  projects  upward  from  the 
channel  below,  then  in  proportion  to  the  elevation  and 
thickness  of  its  stratum  will  be  the  ease  and  rapidity  of 
disintegration  and  retrocession.  The  shale  furnishes, 
therefore,  a  good  standard  by  which  to  determine  the 
comparative  rapidity  with  which  the  retrocession  has  been 
accomplished  at  different  points. 

From  the  base  of  the  escarpment  at  Lewiston  up 
the  narrow  bend  in  the  channel  above  Devil's  Hole,  a 
distance  of  four  and  a  quarter  miles,  the  shale  varies  in 
thickness  above  the  water,  from  one  hundred  and  thirty 
feet  at  the  commencement  of  the  gorge,  to  one  hundred 
and  ten  feet  at  the  upper  extremity  of  the  bend.  Here, 
although  there  is  very  little  upward  curve  in  the  lime- 
stone, there  is  yet  a  decided  curve  upward  in  the  Medina 


44  NIAGARA. 

group,  noticed  above,  composed  mainly  of  a  hard,  red 
sandstone.  It  projects  across  the  chasm,  and  also  ex- 
tends upward  to  near  the  neck  of  the  Whirlpool,  where 
it  dips  suddenly  downward.  The  two  strata  of  shale, 
becoming  apparently  united,  follow  its  dip  and  also 
extend  upward  until  they  reach  their  maximum  elevation 
near  the  middle  of  the  Whirlpool.  Thence  the  shale 
gradually  dips  again  to  the  Railway  Suspension  Bridge, 
three-quarters  of  a  mile  above.  For  the  remaining  one 
and  a  half  miles  from  this  bridge  to  the  present  site  of 
the  Falls  the  dip  is  downward.  We  may  then  divide 
this  reach  of  the  Niagara  River  into  three  sections  : 

First.  From  Lewiston  to  the  upper  end  of  the  Bend 
above  Devil's  Hole. 

Second.  Thence  to  the  head  of  the  rapid  above  the 
Railway  Suspension  Bridge. 

Third.    Thence  to  the  present  site  of  the  Falls. 

We  are  now  prepared  to  consider  these  sections 
with  reference  to  the  retrocession  of  the  fall  of  water. 
Through  the  first  section  the  shale,  as  before  noted, 
lying  much  above  the  water  surface,  and  the  superposed 
limestone  being  rather  soft  and  thinner  than  at  any  point 
above,  the  retreat  was  probably  quite  uniform  and  com- 
paratively rapid,  about  the  same  progress  being  made 
in  each  of  the  many  centuries  required  to  accomplish  its 
whole  length.  Professor  James  Hall,  in  his  able  and 
interesting  Report  on  the  Geology  of  the  Fourth  District 
of  the  State  of  New  York,  suggests  the  probability  of 
there  having  been  three  distinct  Falls,  one  below  the 
other,  for  some  distance  up-stream,  when  the  retrocession 
first  began.     The  average  width  of  this  section  between 


GEOLOGY.  45 

the  banks  is  one  thousand  feet.  About  one  mile  below 
its  upper  extremity  is  "  Devil's  Hole,"  a  side-chasm 
cut  out  of  the  American  bank  of  the  river  by  a  small 
stream  called  "  Bloody  Run,"  which,  in  heavy  rains, 
forms  a  torrent.  The  "Hole"  has  been  made  by  the 
detrition  and  washing  out  of  the  shale  and  the  fall  of  the 
overlying  rock.  A  short  distance  above,  on  the  Cana- 
dian side,  lies  Foster's  Glen,  a  singular  and  extensive 
lateral  excavation  left  dry  by  the  receding  flood.  The 
cliff  at  its  upper  end  is  bare  and  water-worn,  showing 
that  the  arc  or  curve  of  the  Falls  must  have  been  greater 
here  than  at  any  point  below. 

Near  the  upper  end  of  this  section  there  is  a  rocky 
cape,  which  juts  out  from  the  Canadian  bank,  and  reaches 
nearly  two-thirds  of  the  distance  across  the  chasm.  At 
this  point  the  great  Fall  met  with  a  more  obstinate  and 
longer  continued  resistance  than  at  any  other,  for  the 
reason  that  the  fine,  firm  sandstone  belonging  to  the 
Medina  group,  as  has  been  stated,  here  projects  across 
the  channel  of  the  river,  and,  forming  a  part  of  its  bed, 
rises  upward  several  feet  above  the  surface  of  the  water. 
And  here  this  hard,  compact  rock  held  the  cataract  for 
many  centuries.  The  crooked  channel  which  incessant 
friction  and  hammering  finally  cut  through  that  rock  is 
the  narrowest  in  the  river,  being  only  two  hundred  and 
ninety-two  feet  wide,  and  the  fierce  rush  of  the  water 
through  the  narrow,  rock-ribbed  gorge  is  almost  appall- 
ing to  the  beholder.  The  average  width  between  the 
banks  of  this  section  is  about  nine  hundred  feet. 

In  the  second  section  is  found  the  Whirlpool,  one  of 
the  most  interesting  and  attractive  portions  of  the  river. 


46  •  NIAGARA. 

The  large  basin  in  which  it  Hes  was  cut  out  much  more 
rapidly  than  any  other  part  of  the  chasm.  And  this  for 
the  reason  that,  in  addition  to  the  thick  stratum  of  shale, 
there  was,  underlying  the  channel,  a  large  pocket,  and 
probably,  also,  a  broad  seam  or  cleavage,  filled  with  gravel 
and  pebbles.  Indeed,  there  is  a  broad  and  very  ancient 
cleavage  in  the  rock-wall  on  the  Canadian  side,  extending 
from  near  the  top  of  the  bank  to  an  unknown  depth  below. 
Its  course  can  be  traced  from  the  north  side  of  the  pool 
some  distance  in  a  north-westerly  direction.  Of  course 
the  resistless  power  of  the  falling  water  was  not  long 
restrained  by  these  feeble  barriers,  and  here  the  broadest 
and  deepest  notch  of  any  given  century  was  made.  The 
name.  Whirlpool,  is  not  quite  accurate,  since  the  body  of 
water  to  which  it  is  applied  is  rather  a  large  eddy,  in 
which  small  whirlpools  are  constantly  forming  and  break- 
ing. The  spectator  cannot  realize  the  tremendous  power 
exerted  by  these  pools,  unless  there  is  some  object  float- 
ing upon  the  surface  by  which  it  may  be  demonstrated. 
Logs  from  broken  rafts  are  frequently  carried  over  the 
Falls,  and,  when  they  reach  this  eddy,  tree-trunks  from 
two  to  three  feet  in  diameter  and  fifty  feet  long,  after  a  few 
preliminary  and  stately  gyrations,  are  drawn  down  end- 
wise, submerged  for  awhile  and  then  ejected  with  great 
force,  to  resume  again  their  devious  way  in  the  resistless 
current.  And  they  will  often  be  kept  in  this  monotonous 
round  from  four  to  six  weeks  before  escaping  to  the  rapids 
below. 

The    cleft    in   the    bed-rock   which    forms    the    outlet 
of  the   basin   is   one  of  the  narrowest  parts  of  the  river. 


GEOLOGY.  47 

being  only  four  hundred  feet  in  width.  Standing  on  one 
side  of  this  gorge,  and  considering  that  the  whole  volume 
of  the  water  in  the  river  is  rushing  through  it,  the  specta- 
tor witnesses  a  manifestation  of  physical  force  which 
makes  a  more  vivid  impression  upon  his  mind  than  even 
the  great  Fall  itself  No  extravagant  attempt  at  fine 
writing,  no  studied  and  elaborate  description,  can  exag- 
gerate the  wonderful  beauty  and  fascination  of  this  pool. 
It  is  separated  from  the  habitations  of  men,  at  a  dis- 
tance from  any  highway,  and  lies  secluded  in  the  midst 
of  a  small  tract  of  wood  which  has  fortunately  been  pre- 
served around  it,  in  which  the  dark  and  pale  greens  of 
stately  pines  and  cedars  predominate.  Within  the  basin 
the  waters  are  rushing  onward,  plunging  downward,  leap- 
ing upward,  combing  over  at  the  top  in  beautiful  waves 
and  ruffles  of  dazzling  whiteness,  shaded  down  through 
all  the  opalescent  tints  to  the  deep  emerald  at  their  base. 
It  is  ever  varying,  never  presenting  the  same  aspect  in 
any  two  consecutive  moments,  and  the  beholder  is  lost  in 
admiration  as  he  comprehends  more  and  more  the  many- 
sided  and  varied  beauties  of  the  matchless  scene.  No  one 
visiting  the  Whirlpool  should  fail  to  go  down  the  bank  to 
the  water's  edge.  On  a  bright  summer  morning,  after  a 
night  shower  has  laid  the  dust,  cleansed  and  brightened  the 
foliage  of  shrub  and  tree,  purified  and  glorified  the  atmos- 
phere, there  are  few  more  inviting  and  charming  views. 

The  remaining  portion  of  this  section  is  the  Whirlpool 
rapid,  a  beautiful  curve,  reaching  up  just  above  the  Rail- 
way Suspension  Bridge.  It  was  the  most  tumultuous  and 
dangerous  portion  of  the  voyage  once  made  by  the  Maid 


48  NIAGARA. 

of  the  Mist.  The  water  is  in  a  perpetual  tumult,  a  perfect 
embodiment  of  the  spirit  of  unrest.  Owing  to  the  rapid- 
ity of  the  descent  and  the  narrowness  of  the  curve,  the 
water  is  forced  into  a  broken  ridge  in  the  center  of  the 
channel.  There,  in  its  wild  tumult,  it  is  tossed  up  into 
fanciful  cones  and  mounds,  which  are  crowned  with  a 
flashing  coronal  of  liquid  gems  by  the  isolated  drops  and 
delicate  spray  thrown  off  from  the  whirling  mass,  and 
rising  sometimes  to  the  height  of  thirty  feet.  Standing 
on  the  bridge  and  looking  down-stream,  the  spectator  will 
see  near  by,  on  the  American  shore,  a  very  good  illustra- 
tion of  the  manner  in  which  the  shale,  there  cropping 
out  above  the  surface  of  the  water,  is  worn  away,  leaving 
the  superposed  rock  projecting  beyond  it. 

In  the  third  and  last  section  the  shale  continues  its 
downward  dip,  and  at  several  places  entirely  disappears. 
The  rock  lying  upon  it  is  quite  compact,  and  some  of  it 
very  hard.  The  deep  water  into  which  the  falling  water 
was  formerly  received  partially  protected  the  shale,  so 
that  many  centuries  must  have  elapsed  before  the  excava- 
tion of  this  section  was  completed.  Its  average  width  is 
eleven  hundred  feet. 

Sixty  rods  below  the  American  Fall  is  the  upper  Sus- 
pension Bridge.  From  this  bridge,  looking  downward,  no 
one  can  fail  to  be  impressed  with  the  serene  and  quiet 
beauty  of  the  mirror  below,  reflecting  from  the  surface 
of  its  emerald  and  apparently  unfathomable  depths  life- 
size  and  life-like  images  of  surrounding  objects.  The  calm, 
majestic,  unbroken  current  is  in  striking  contrast  with  the 
fall  and  foam  and  chopping  sea  above. 


GEOLOGY.  49 

The  greatest  depth  of  the  water  in  mid-channel  between 
the  two  Suspension  Bridges,  as  ascertained  by  measuring, 
is  two  hundred  feet.  But  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that 
this  is  the  depth  of  the  water  flowing  above  the  immense 
mass  of  rock,  stones,  and  gravel  which  has  fallen  into  the 
channel.  The  bottom  of  the  chasm,  therefore,  must  be 
more  than  a  hundred  feet  lower,  since  the  fallen  rocks, 
having  tumbled  down  promiscuously,  must  occupy  much 
more  space  than  they  did  in  their  original  bed.  There 
are  isolated  points,  as  at  the  Whirlpool  and  Devil's  Hole, 
where  the  river  is  wider  than  in  any  part  of  this  section, 
but  the  depth  is  less.  Taking  into  consideration  both 
depth  and  width,  this  is  the  finest  part  of  the  chasm. 
And  for  this  reason  chiefly,  when  the  great  cataract  was 
at  a  point  about  one  hundred  rods  below  the  upper 
bridge,  it  must  have  presented  its  sublimest  aspect.  The 
secondary  bank  on  each  side  of  the  river  is  here  high 
and  firm,  whereby  the  whole  mass  of  water  must  have 
been  concentrated  into  a  single  channel  of  greater  depth 
at  the  top  of  the  Fall  than  it  could  have  had  at  any  other 
point.  And  here  the  mighty  column  exerted  its  most 
terrific  force,  rolling  over  the  precipice  in  one  broad, 
vertical  curve,  water  falling  into  water,  and  lifting  up,  per- 
petually, that  snowy  veil  of  mist  and  spray  which  con- 
stitutes at  any  point  its  crowning  beauty. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

Recession  above  the  present  position  of  the  Falls  —  Tlie  Falls  will  be 
higher  as  they  recede — Reason  why — Professor  Tyndall's  prediction  — 
Present  and  former  accumulations  of  rock  —  Terrific  power  of  the 
elements  —  Ice  and  ice  bridges  —  Remarkable  geognosy  of  the  lake 
region. 

THERE  is  probably  little  foundation  for  the  appre- 
hension which  has  been  expressed  that  the  recession 
of  the  chasm  will  ultimately  reach  Lake  Erie  and  lower 
its  level,  or  that  the  bed  of  the  river  will  be  worn  into  an 
inclined  plane  by  gradual  detrition,  thus  changing  the 
perpendicular  Fall  into  a  tumultuous  rapid.  And  for 
these  reasons :  The  contour  or  arc  of  the  Fall  in 
its  present  location  is  much  greater  than  it  could  have 
been  at  any  point  below.  Consequently  a  much  smaller 
body  of  water,  less  effective  in  force,  is  passed  over  any 
given  portion  of  the  precipice,  the  current  being  also 
divided  by  Goat  and  Luna  islands.  Also,  the  river 
bed  increases  in  width  above  the  Fall  until  it  reaches 
Grand  Island,  which,  being  twelve  miles  in  length  by 
eight  in  width,  divides  the  river  into  two  broad  channels, 
thus  still  further  diminishing  the  weight  and  force  of  the 
falling  water.  The  average  width  of  the  channel  from 
Lewiston    upward    is    one    thousand   feet.     The    present 


GEOLOGY.  5 1 

curve  formed  by  the  Falls  and  islands  is  four  thousand  two 
hundred  feet.  Of  course  the  water  concentrated  in  mass 
and  force  below  the  present  Falls  must  have  proved 
vastly  more  effective  in  disintegrating  and  breaking  down 
the  shale  and  limestone  than  it  possibly  can  be  at  any 
point  above.  After  receding  half  a  mile  further  the  curve 
will  be  more  than  a  mile  in  extent,  and  hold  this  length 
for  two  additional  miles,  provided  the  water  shall  cover 
the  bed-rock  from  shore  to  shore. 

In  reference  to  this  recession,  Professor  Tyndall,  in 
the  closing  paragraph  of  a  lecture  on  Niagara,  delivered 
before  the  Royal  Institute,  after  his  return  to  England, 
says :  "  In  conclusion,  we  may  say  a  word  regarding  the 
proximate  future  of  Niagara.  At  the  rate  of  excavation 
assigned  to  it  by  Sir  Charles  Lyell,  namely,  a  foot  a  year, 
five  thousand  years  will  carry  the  Horseshoe  Fall  far 
higher  than  Goat  Island.  As  the  gorge  recedes  *  *  * 
it  will  totally  drain  the  American  branch  of  the  river,  the 
channel  of  which  will  in  due  time  become  cultivatable 
land.  *  *  *  To  those  who  visit  Niagara  five  millen- 
niums hence,  I  leave  the  verification  of  this  prediction." 
In  his  "Travels  in  the  United  States,"  in  1 841-2,  vol.  i, 
page  27,  Sir  Charles  Lyell  says:  "Mr.  Bakewell  calcu- 
lated that,  in  the  forty  years  preceding  1830,  the  Niagara 
had  been  going  back  at  the  rate  of  about  a  yard  annually, 
but  I  conceive  that  one  foot  per  year  would  be  a  more 
probable  conjecture." 

Thus  it  appears  that  the  rate  suggested  was  the  result 
of  a  conjecture  founded  on  a  guess.  From  certain  oral  and 
written  statements  which  we  have  been   able  to  collect, 


52  NIAGARA. 

we  have  made  an  estimate  of  the  time  which  was  required 
to  excavate  the  present  chasm-channel  from  Lewiston 
upward.  During  the  last  hundred  and  seventy-five  years 
certain  masses  of  rock  have  been  known  to  fall  from  the 
water-covered  surface  of  the  cataract,  and  a  statement  as 
to  the  surface-measure  of  each  mass  was  made.  In  using 
these  data  it  is  supposed  that  each  break  extended  to  the 
bottom  of  the  precipice,  although  the  whole  mass  did 
not  fall  at  once.  Of  course,  the  substructure  must  have 
worn  out  before  the  superstructure  could  have  gone 
down.  Father  Hennepin  says  that  the  projection  of  the 
rock  on  the  American  side  was  so  great  that  "four 
coaches"  could  "drive  abreast"  beneath  it.  Seven  years 
later,  Baron  La  Hontan,  referring  to  the  Canadian  side, 
says  "three  men"  could  "cross  in  abreast."  We  cannot 
assign  less  than  twenty-four  feet  to  the  four  coaches 
moving  abreast.  The  projection  on  the  Canadian  side 
has  diminished  but  little,  whereas  the  overhang  on  the 
American  side  has  almost  entirely  fallen,  as  is  abundantly 
shown  by  the  huge  pile  of  large  bowlders  now  lying  at 
the  foot  of  the  precipice.  Authentic  accounts  of  similar 
abrasions  are  the  following:  In  1818,  a  mass  one  hundred 
and  sixty  feet  long  by  sixty  feet  wide  ;  and  later  in  the 
same  year  a  huge  mass,  the  top  surface  of  which  was 
estimated  at  half  an  acre.  If  this  estimate  was  correct,  it 
would  show  an  abrasion  equivalent  to  nearly  one  foot  of 
the  whole  surface  of  the  Canadian  Fall.  In  1829  two  other 
masses,  equal  to  the  first  that  fell  in  1818,  went  down. 
In  1850  there  fell  a  smaller  mass,  about  fifty  feet  long 
and  ten  feet  wide.      In  1852,  a  triangular  mass  fell,  which 


GEOLOGY.  53 

was  about  six  hundred  feet  long,  extending  south  from 
Goat  Island  beyond  the  Terrapin  Tower,,  and  having  an 
average  width  of  twenty  feet.  Here  we  have  approximate 
data  on  which  to  base  our  calculations.  In  addition 
to  these,  it  is  supposed  that  there  have  been  unob- 
served abrasions  by  piecemeal  that  equaled  all  the  others. 
Combining  these  minor  masses  into  one  grand  mass  and 
omitting  fractions,  the  result  is  a  bowlder  containing  some- 
thing more  than  twelve  million  cubic  feet  of  rock.  If  this 
were  spread  over  a  surface  one  thousand  feet  wide  and  one 
hundred  and  sixty  feet  deep  —  about  the  average  width 
and  depth  of  the  Falls  below  the  ferry  —  it  would  make  a 
block  about  seventy-eight  feet  thick.  This,  for  one  hun- 
dred and  seventy-five  years,  is  a  little  over  five  inches 
a  year.  At  this  rate,  to  cut  back  six  miles  —  the  pres- 
ent length  of  the  chasm  —  would  require  nearly  sixty 
thousand  years,  or  ten  thousand  years  for  a  single  mile, 
a  mere  shadow  of  time  compared  with  the  age  of  the 
coralline  limestone  over  which  the  water  flows.  So,  if 
this  estimate  is  reasonably  correct,  two  millenniums  will 
be  exhausted  before  Professor  Tyndall's  prophecy  can  be 
fulfilled. 

As  to  the  "entire  drainage  of  the  American  branch" 
of  the  river,  we  must  be  incredulous  when  we  consider  the 
fact  that  the  bottom  of  that  branch,  two  and  a  half  miles 
above  the  Falls,  is  thirty-two  feet  higher  than  the  upper 
surface  of  the  water  where  it  goes  over  the  cliff,  and  that 
there  is  a  continuous  channel  the  whole  distance  varying 
from  twelve  to  twenty  feet  in  depth ;  and  the  further  fact 
that,  in  the  great  syncope  of  the  water  which  occurred  in 
4a 


54  NIAGARA. 

1848,  the  topography,  so  to  speak,  of  the  river  bottom 
was  clearly  revealed.  It  showed  that  the  water  was  so 
divided,  half  a  mile  above  the  rapids,  as  to  form  a  huge 
Y,  through  both  branches  of  which  it  flowed  over  the 
precipice  below,  thus  showing  that  nothing  but  an  entire 
stoppage  of  the  water  can  leave  the  American  channel 
dry.  But  even  if  this  part  of  Professor  Tyndall's  pre- 
diction should  be  verified,  it  is  to  be  feared  that  his 
"vision"  of  "cultivatable  land"  in  the  case  supposed 
will  prove  to  be  visionary.  "To  complete  my  knowledge," 
says  Professor  Tyndall,  "it  was  necessary  to  see  the 
Fall  from  the  river  below  it,  and  long  negotiations  were 
necessary  to  secure  the  means  of  doing  so.  The  only 
boat  fit  for  the  undertaking  had  been  laid  up  for  the 
winter,  but  this  difficulty  *  *  *  was  overcome."  Two 
oarsmen  were  obtained.  The  elder  assumed  command, 
and  "hugged"  the  cross- freshets  instead  of  striking 
out  into  the  smoother  water.  I  asked  him  why  he  did 
so ;  he  replied  that  they  were  directed  outward  and  not 
downward."  If  Professor  Tyndall  had  been  at  Niagara 
during  the  summer  season,  he  would  have  had  the  oppor- 
tunity, daily,  of  seeing  the  Fall  "from  below,"  and  of 
going  up  or  down  the  river  on  any  day  in  a  boat.  All 
the  boats  (four)  at  the  ferry  are  "fit  for  the  undertaking," 
and  all  of  them  are,  very  properly,  "laid  up  in  the 
winter,"  since  they  would  be  crushed  by  the  ice  if  left  in 
the  water.  The  oarsmen  do  not  consider  themselves  very 
shrewd  because  they  have  discovered  that  it  is  easier  to 
row  across  a  current  than  to  row  against  it.  The  party 
had    an    exciting  and,  according  to  Professor  Tyndall's 


Opposite  page  54.  Niagara  Falls,  from  Below. 


GEOLOGY.  55 

account,  a  perilous  trip.  It  is  an  exciting  trip  to  a 
stranger,  but  the  writer  has  made  it  so  frequently  that  it 
has  ceased  to  be  a  novelty. 

"We  reached,"  he  says,  "the  Cave  [of  the  Winds]  and 
entered  it,  first  by  a  wooden  way  carried  over  the  bowl- 
ders, and  then  along  a  narrow  ledge  to  the  point  eaten 
deepest  into  the  shale."  He  also  speaks  of  the  "blinding 
hurricane  of  spray  hurled  against"  him.  This  last  cir- 
cumstance, probably,  prevented  him  from  noticing  the 
fact  that  no  shale  is  visible  in  the  Cave  of  the  Winds.  Its 
wall  from  the  top  downward,  some  distance  beneath  the 
place  where  he  stood,  is  formed  entirely  of  the  Niagara 
limestone.  But  it  is  checkered  by  many  seams,  and  is 
easily  abraded  by  the  elements. 

Long-continued  observation  of  the  locality  enables  the 
writer  to  offer  still  other  reasons  why  the  Fall  will  never 
dwindle  down  to  a  rapid.  As  has  already  been  noticed, 
the  course  of  the  river  above  the  present  Falls  is  a  little 
south  of  west,  so  that  it  flows  across  the  trend  of  the  bed- 
rock. Hence,  as  the  Falls  recede  there  can  be  no  diminu- 
tion in  their  altitude  resulting  from  the  dip  of  this  rock. 
On  the  contrary,  there  is  a  rise  of  fifty  feet  to  the  head  of 
the  present  rapids,  and  a  further  rise  of  twenty  feet  to  the 
level  of  Lake  Erie.  During  187 1-2,  the  bed  of  the  river 
from  Buffalo  to  Cayuga  Creek  was  thoroughly  examined 
for  the  purpose  of  locating  pjers  for  railway  bridges  over 
the  stream.  The  greatest  depth  at  which  they  found  the 
rock — just  below  Black  Rock  dam  —  was  forty-five  feet. 
Generally  the  rock  was  found  to  be  only  twenty  to  twenty- 
five  feet  below  the  surface  of  the  water. 


56  NIAGARA. 

About  five  miles  above  the  present  Falls  there  is,  in 
the  bottom  of  the  river,  a  shelf  of  rock  stretching,  in 
nearly  a  straight  line,  across  the  channel  to  Grand  Island, 
and  having,  apparently,  a  perpendicular  face  about  six- 
teen inches  deep.  Its  presence  is  indicated  by  a  short 
but  decided  curve  in  the  surface  of  the  water  above  it, 
the  water  itself  varying  in  depth  from  eleven  to  sixteen 
feet.  The  shelf  above  referred  to  extends  under  Grand 
Island  and  across  the  Canadian  channel  of  the  river,  under 
which,  however,  its  face  is  no  longer  perpendicular.  If 
the  Falls  were  at  this  point,  they  would  be  fifty-five  feet 
higher  than  they  are  now,  supposing  the  bed-rock  to  be 
firm.  Now,  by  excavations  made  during  the  year  1870 
for  the  new  railway  from  the  Suspension  Bridge  to 
Buffalo,  the  surface  rock  was  found  to  be  compact  and 
hard,  much  of  it  unusually  so.  As  a  general  rule  it  is 
well  known  that  the  greater  the  depth  at  which  any  given 
kind  of  rock  lies  below  the  surface,  and  the  greater  the 
depth  to  which  it  is  penetrated,  the  more  compact  and 
hard  it  will  be  found  to  be.  The  rock  which  was  found 
to  be  so  hard,  in  excavating  for  the  railway,  lies  within 
six  feet  of  the  surface.  The  deepest  water  in  the  Niagara 
River,  between  the  Falls  and  Buffalo,  is  twenty-five  feet. 
At  this  point,  then,  it  would  seem  that  the  shale  of  the 
Niagara  group  must  be  at  such  a  depth  that  the  top  of  it 
is  below  the  surface  of  the  water  at  the  bottom  of  the 
present  fall.  Hence,  being  protected  from  the  disin- 
tegrating action  of  the  atmosphere,  and  the  incessant 
chiseling  of  the  dashing  spray,  it  would  make  a  firm  foun- 
dation for  the  hard  limestone- which  would  form  the  per- 


GEOLOGY.  57 

pendicular  ledge  over  which  the  water  would  fall.  Sup- 
posing the  bottom  of  the  channel  below  this  fall  to  have 
the  same  declivity  as  that  for  a  mile  below  the  present 
fall,  the  then  cataract  would  be,  as  has  been  before 
stated,  fifty- five  feet  higher  than  the  present  one.  If  we 
should  allow  fifty  feet  for  a  soft-surface  limestone,  full  of 
cleavages  and  seams  which  might  be  easily  broken  down, 
still  the  new  fall  would  be  five  feet  higher  than  the  old 
one.  But,  so  far  as  can  now  be  discovered,  there  is  no 
geological  necessity,  so  to  speak,  for  making  any  such 
allowance.  In  the  new  cataract  the  American  Fall  would 
still  be  the  higher,  and  its  line  across  the  channel  nearly 
straight.  The  Canadian  Fall  would  undoubtedly  present 
a  curve,  but  more  gradual  and  uniform  than  the  present 
horseshoe. 

But  there  might  possibly  occur  one  new  feature  in  the 
chasm-channel  of  the  river  as  the  result  of  future  re- 
cession. That  would  be  the  presence  in  that  channel  of 
rocky  islands,  similar  to  that  which  has  already  formed 
just  below  the  American  Fall.  The  points  at  which 
these  islands  would  be  likely  to  form  are  those  where  the 
indurated  rock  of  either  the  Medina  or  the  Niagara  group 
lies  near  the  surface  of  the  water.  This  probably  was  the 
case  at  the  narrow  bend  below  the  Whirlpool,  before 
noticed,  and  from  thence  up  to  the  outlet  of  the  pool. 
After  considering  what  must  have  occurred  in  the  last 
case,  we  may  form  some  opinion  concerning  the  proba- 
bilities in  reference  to  the  first. 

We  can  hardly  resist  the  conclusion  that  masses  of 
fallen  rock  must  have  accumulated  below  the  Whirlpool 


58  NIAGARA. 

as  we  now  see  them  under  the  American  Fall.  But  if  so, 
where  are  they  ?  The  answer  to  this  question  brings  us 
to  the  consideration  of  the  most  remarkable  phenomenon 
connected  with  this  wonderful  river.  To  the  beholder  it 
is  matter  of  astonishment  what  can  have  become  of  the 
great  mass  of  earth,  rock,  gravel,  and  bowlders,  large  and 
small,  which  once  filled  the  immense  chasm  that  lies  below 
him.  He  learns  that  the  water  for  a  mile  below  the  Falls 
is  two  hundred  feet  deep,  and  flows  over  a  mass  of  fallen 
rock  and  stone  of  great  depth  lying  below  it ;  he  sees  a 
chasm  of  nearly  double  these  dimensions,  more  than  half 
of  which  was  once  filled  with  solid  rock ;  he  beholds  the 
large  quantities  which  have  already  fallen,  which  are  still 
defiant,  still  breasting  the  ceaseless  hammering  of  the  de- 
scending flood.  For  centuries  past  this  process  has  been 
going  on,  until  a  chasm  seven  miles  long,  a  thousand  feet 
wide,  and,  including  the  secondary  banks,  more  than  four 
hundred  feet  deep,  has  been  excavated,  and  the  material 
which  filled  it  entirely  removed.  How  ?  By  what  ? 
Frost  was  the  agent,  ice  was  his  delver,  water  his  car- 
rier, and  the  basin  of  Lake  Ontario  his  dumping-ground. 
Although  there  is  little  Hkelihood  that  islands  similar  to 
Goat  Island  have  existed  in  the  channel  from  Lewiston 
upward,  still  it  is  probable  that,  when  the  Fall  receded 
from  the  rocky  cape  below  the  Whirlpool  up  to  the  pool, 
it  left  masses  of  rock,  large  and  small,  lying  on  the  rocky 
floor  and  projecting  above  the  surface  of  the  water.  As 
there  were  no  islands  above,  there  were  no  broken,  tumul- 
tuous rapids.  As  has  been  before  remarked,  the  water 
poured  over  in  one  broad,  deep,  resistless  flood.      When 


GEOLOGY.  59 

frozen  by  the  intense  cold  of  winter,  the  great  cakes  of  ice 
would  descend  with  crushing  force  on  these  rocks.  The 
smaller  ones  would  be  broken,  pulverized,  and  swept  down- 
stream, the  channel  for  the  water  would  be  enlarged 
gradually,  and  the  larger  masses  thus  partially  undermined. 
Then  the  spray  and  dashing  water  would  freeze  and  the 
ice  accumulate  upon  them  until  they  were  toppled  over. 
Then  the  falling  ice  would  recommence  its  chipping 
labors,  and  with  every  piece  of  ice  knocked  off,  a  portion 
of  the  rock  would  go  with  it.  Finally,  as  the  cold  contin- 
ued, the  master  force,  the  mightiest  of  mechanical  powers, 
would  be  brought  into  action.  The  vast  quantities  of  ice 
pouring  over  the  precipice  would  freeze  together,  agglom- 
erate, and  form  an  ice-bridge.  The  roof  being  formed,  the 
succeeding  cakes  of  ice  would  be  drawn  under,  and,  raising 
it,  be  frozen  to  it.  This  process  goes  on.  Every  piece 
of  rock  above  and  below  the  surface  is  embraced  in  a  re- 
lentless icy  grip.  Millions  of  tons  are  frozen  fast  together. 
The  water  and  ice  continue  to  plunge  over  the  precipice. 
The  principle  of  the  hydrostatic  press  is  made  effective. 
Then  commences  a  crushing  and  grinding  process  which 
is  perfectly  terrific.  Under  the  resistless  pressure  brought 
to  bear  upon  it,  the  huge  mass  moves  half  an  inch  in  one 
direction,  and  an  hundred  cubic  feet  of  rock  are  crushed  to 
powder.  There  is  a  pause.  Then  again  the  immense 
structure  moves  half  an  inch  another  way,  and  once  more 
the  crumbling  atoms  attest  its  awful  power.  This  goes 
on  for  weeks  continuously.  Finally  the  temperature 
changes.  The  sunlight  becomes  potent ;  the  ice  ceases 
to  form  ;   the  warm  rays  loosen  the  grip  of  the  ice-bridge 


6o  NIAGARA. 

along  the  borders  of  the  chasm  below.  The  water  be- 
comes more  abundant ;  the  bridge  rises,  bringing  in  its 
icy  grasp  whatever  it  had  attached  itself  to  beneath  ;  it 
breaks  up  into  masses  of  different  dimensions  :  each  mass 
starts  downward  with  the  growing  current,  breaking  down 
or  filing  off  everything  with  which  it  comes  in  contact. 
Fearful  sounds  come  up  from  the  hidden  depths,  from 
the  mills  which  are  slowly  pulverizing  the  massive  rock. 
The  smaller  bits  and  finer  particles,  after  filling  the  inter- 
stices between  the  larger  rocks  in  the  bottom  of  the 
chasm,  are  borne  lakeward.  The  heavier  portions  make 
a  part  of  the  journey  this  year ;  they  will  make  another 
part  next  year,  and  another  the  next,  being  constantly 
disintegrated  and  pulverized. 

This  work  has  been  going  on  for  many  centuries. 
The  result  is  seen  in  the  vast  bar  of  unknown  depth 
which  is  spread  over  the  bottom  of  Lake  Ontario  around 
the  mouth  of  the  river.  On  the  inner  side  of  the  bar  the 
water  is  from  sixty  to  eighty  feet  deep,  on  the  bar  it  is 
twenty-five  feet  deep,  and  outside  of  it  in  the  lake  it 
reaches  a  depth  of   six  hundred  feet. 

And  finally,  to  the  force  we  have  been  considering, 
more  than  to  any  other,  it  is  probable  that  all  the  coming 
generations  of  men  will  be  indebted  for  a  grand  and  per- 
pendicular Fall  somewhere  between  its  present  location 
and  Lake  St.  Clair ;  for  it  must  be  remembered  that  the 
bottom  of  Lake  Erie  is  only  fourteen  feet  lower  than  the 
crest  of  the  present  Fall,  and  the  bottom  of  Lake  St.  Clair 
is  sixty-two  feet  higher.  It  may  also  be  considered  that 
the  corniferous  limestone  of  the  Onondaga  group  —  which 


Great  Icicles  under  the  American  Fall. 

Opposite  page  60, 


^••^"•■•■WfWl 


GEOLOGY.  6 1 

succeeds  the  Niagara  group  as  we  approach  Lake  Erie  — 
is  more  competent  to  maintain  a  perpendicular  face  than 
is  the  hmestone  of  the  latter  group. 

We  may  here  appropriately  notice  a  remarkable  feat- 
ure in  the  geognosy  of  the  earth's  surface  from  Lake 
Huron  to  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence.  We  have  before 
stated  that  the  elevation  of  that  lake  above  tide- water  is 
five  hundred  and  seventy-eight  feet.  But  its  depth, 
according  to  Dr.  Houghton,  is  one  thousand  feet.  If 
this  statement  is  correct,  the  bottom  of  it  is  four  hundred 
and  twenty-two  feet  below  the  sea-level.  The  elevation 
of  Lake  St.  Clair  is  five  hundred  and  seventy  feet.  But 
its  depth  is  only  twenty  feet,  leaving  its  bottom  five  hun- 
dred and  fifty  feet  above  the  sea-level.  The  elevation  of 
Lake  Erie  is  five  hundred  and  sixty-eight  feet.  But  it  is 
only  eighty-four  feet  deep,  making  it  four  hundred  and 
eighty-four  feet  above  the  sea-level.  From  Lake  Erie  to 
Lake  Ontario  there  is  a  descent  of  three  hundred  and 
thirty-six  feet.  But  the  latter  lake  is  six  hundred  feet 
deep,  and  its  elevation  two  hundred  and  thirty-two  feet. 
Hence  the  bottom  of  it  is  three  hundred  and  sixty-eight 
feet  below  the  sea-level.  From  the  outlet  of  Lake  Onta- 
rio the  St.  Lawrence  River  flows  eight  hundred  and  twenty 
miles  to  tide-water,  falling  two  hundred  and  thirty-two 
feet  in  this  distance.  The  water  from  the  springs  at  the 
bottom  of  Lake  Huron  is  compelled  to  climb  a  mountain 
nine  hundred  and  eighty  feet  high  before  it  can  start  on 
this  long  oceanward  journey. 


PART   III. 
LOCAL  HISTORY  AND  INCIDENTS. 


CHAPTER    IX. 

Forty  years  since  —  Niagara  in  winter  —  Frozen  spray  —  Ice  foliage  and 
ice  apples  —  Ice  moss  —  Frozen  fog  —  Ice  islands  —  Ice  statues  —  Sleigh- 
riding  on  the  American  rapids  —  Boys  coasting  on  them  —  Ice  gorges. 

IF  the  first  white  man  who  saw  Niagara  could  have 
been  certain  that  he  was  the  first  to  see  it,  and  had 
simply  recorded  the  fact  with  whatever  note  or  comment, 
he  would  have  secured  for  himself  that  species  of  immor- 
tality which  accrues  to  such  as  are  connected  with  those 
first  and  last  events  and  things  in  which  all  men  feel  a 
certain  interest.  But  he  failed  to  improve  his  oppor- 
tunity, and  Father  Hennepin  was  the  first,  so  far  as 
known,  to  profit  by  such  neglect,  and  his  somewhat 
crude  and  exaggerated  description  of  the  Falls  has  been 
often  quoted  and  is  well  known.  So  long  as  "  waters 
flow  and  trees  grow"  it  will  continue  to  be  read  by 
successive    generations.       The    French    missionaries    and 


LOCAL    HISTORY    AND     INCIDENTS.  6^^ 

traders  who  followed  him  seem  to  have  been  too  much 
occupied  in  saving  souls  or  in  seeking  for  gold  to  spend 
much  time  in  contemplating  the  cataract,  or  to  waste 
much  sentiment  in  writing  about  it.  And  so  it  happens 
that,  considering  its  fame,  very  little  has  been  written, 
or  rather  published,  concerning   it. 

Seventy  years  ago,  the  few  travelers  who  were  drawn 
to  the  vicinity  by  interest  or  curiosity  were  obliged  to 
approach  it  by  Indian  trails,  or  rude  corduroy  roads, 
through  dense  and  dark  forests.  Within  the  solitude 
of  their  deep  shadows,  beneath  their  protecting  arms, 
was  hidden  one  of  the  sublimest  works  of  the  phys- 
ical creation.  The  scene  was  grand,  impressive,  almost 
oppressive,  not  less  sublime  than  the  Alps  or  the 
ocean,  but  more  fascinating,  more  companionable,  than 
either. 

Niagara  we  can  take  to  our  hearts.  We  realize  its 
majesty  and  its  beauty,  but  we  are  never  obliged  to 
challenge  its  power.  Its  surroundings  and  accessories 
are  calm  and  peaceful.  Even  in  all  the  treacherous 
and  bloody  warfare  of  savage  Indians  it  was  neutral 
ground.  It  was  a  forest  city  of  refuge  for  contending 
tribes.  The  generous,  noble,  and  peaceful  Niagaras  —  a 
people,  according  to  M.  Charlevoix,  "  larger,  stronger, 
and  better  formed  than  any  other  savages,"  and  who 
lived  upon  its  borders  —  were  called  by  the  whites  and 
the  neighboring  tribes  the  Neuter  Nation. 

The  crafty  Hurons,  the  unwarlike  Eries,  the  invin- 
cible league  formed  by  the  six  aggressive  and  con- 
quering tribes  composing  the  Iroquois  confederacy, —  the 


64  NIAGARA. 

Mohawks,  the  Oneidas,  the  Onondagas,  the  Cayugas, 
the  Senecas,  and  the  Tuscaroras, —  all  extinguished  the 
torch,  buried  the  tomahawk,  and  smoked  the  calumet 
when  they  came  to  the  shores  of  the  Niagara,  and  sat 
down  within  sight  of  its  incense  cloud,  and  listened 
to  its  perpetual  anthem.  In  succeeding  contests  between 
the  whites,  on  two  occasions  only  was  nature's  repose 
here  disturbed  by  the  din  of  battle  —  first,  in  the  run- 
ning fight  at  Chippewa,  and  again  at  the  obstinate  and 
bloody  struggle  of  Lundy's   Lane. 

During  the  War  of  1812,  in  which  these  actions 
occurred,  the  dense  forest  which  lay  outside  of  the 
old  belt  of  French  occupation  was  first  extensively 
and  persistently  attacked,  the  sunlight  being  let  in 
upon  comfortable  log-cabins  and  fruitful  fields.  The 
Indian  trail  and  corduroy  "shake"  were  superseded 
by  more  civilized  and  comfortable  highways.  Post 
routes  were  opened  and  public  conveyances  established. 
For  many  years,  however,  the  two  principal  ways  of 
access  to  Niagara  were  by  the  Ridge  road,  from 
the  Genessee  Falls — now  Rochester — and  the  river 
road  on  the  Canadian  side  from  Buffalo  to  Drum- 
mondville. 

Some  forty  years  ago,  and  for  many  years  thereafter, 
Niagara  was,  emphatically,  a  pleasant  and  attractive 
watering-place ;  the  town  was  quiet ;  the  accommo- 
dations were  comfortable ;  the  people  were  kind,  con- 
siderate, and  attentive ;  guides  were  civil,  intelligent, 
and  truthful ;  conveyances  were  good,  and  were  in 
charge    of    careful     and     respectable    attendants ;    com- 


LOCAL     HISTORY     AND     INCIDENTS.  65 

missions  were  unknown;  "scalping"  was  left  to  the  In- 
dians ;  nobody  was  annoyed  or  importuned ;  the  flowers 
bloomed,  the  birds  caroled,  the  full-leaved  trees  furnished 
refreshing  shade,  and  the  air  was  balmy.  Then  the 
lowing  of  cows  in  the  street,  the  guttural  note  of  the 
swine,  and  the  voice  of  the  solicitor  were  not  heard. 
Elderly  people  came  to  stay  for  pleasant  recreation  and 
quiet  enjoyment;  younger  people  to  "bill  and  coo"  and 
dance.  Now  all  that  is  changed.  A  contemporary 
orator  once  described  the  moral  status  of  a  famous 
stock-jobbing  locality  by  saying  that  "  ten  thousand  a 
year  is  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount  for  Wall  street."  The 
same  gospel  is  popular  at  Niagara. 

Whoso  has  seen  Niagara  only  in  summer  has  but 
half  seen  it.  In  winter  its  beauties  are  not  diminished, 
while  the  accessories  due  to  the  season  are  numerous  and 
varied.  After  two  or  three  weeks  of  intensely  cold 
weather  many  beautiful  and  fantastic  scenes  are  presented 
around    the    Falls. 

The  different  varieties  of  stalactites  and  stalagmites 
hanging  from  or  apparently  supporting  the  project- 
ing rocks  along  the  side  walls  of  the  deep  chasm, 
the  ice  islands  which  grow  on  the  bars  and  around  the 
rocks  in  the  river,  the  white  caps  and  hoods  which  are 
formed  on  the  rocks  below,  the  fanciful  statuary  and 
statuesque  forms  which  gather  on  and  around  the  trees 
and  bushes,  are  all  curious  and  interesting.  Exceedingly 
beautiful  are  the  white  vestments  of  frozen  spray  with 
which  everything  in  the  immediate  vicinity  is  robed 
and  shielded;  and  beautiful,  too,  are  the  clusters  of  ice 
5 


66  NIAGARA. 

apples  which  tip  the  extremities  of  the  branches  of  the 
evergreen  trees. 

There  is  something  marvelous  in  the  purity  and 
whiteness  of  congealed  spray.  One  might  think  it  to  be 
frozen  sunHght.  And  when,  by  reason  of  an  angle  or  a 
curve,  it  is  thrown  into  shadow,  one  sees  where  the 
rainbow  has  been  caught  and  frozen  in.  After  a  day  of 
sunshine  which  has  been  sufificiently  warm  to  fill  the 
atmosphere  with  aqueous  vapor,  if  a  sharp,  still,  cold 
night  succeed,  and  if  on  this  there  break  a  clear,  calm 
morning,  the  scene  presented  is  one  of  unique  and 
enchanting  beauty. 

The  frozen  spray  on  every  boll,  limb,  and  twig 
of  tree  and  shrub,  on  every  stiffened  blade  of  grass, 
on  every  rigid  stem  and  tendril  of  the  vines,  is 
covered  over  with  a  fine  white  powder,  a  frosty  bloom, 
from  which  there  springs  a  line  of  delicate  frost- 
spines,  forming  a  perfect  fringe  of  ice- moss,  than  which 
nothing  more  fanciful  nor  more  beautiful  can  be  im- 
agined. 

Then,  as  the  day  advances,  the  increasing  warmth 
of  the  sun's  rays  dissolves  this  fairy  frost-work  and 
spreads  it  like  a  delicate  varnish  over  the  solid  spray, 
giving  it  a  brilliant  polish  rivaling  the  luster  of  the 
rarest  gems ;  the  mid-morning  breeze  sets  in  motion  this 
flashing,  dazzling  forest,  which  varies  its  color  as  the 
sunlight-angle  varies ;  and  finally,  when  the  waxing 
warmth  and  growing  breeze  loosen  the  hold  of  the 
icy  covering  in  the  tree-tops,  and  it  drops  to  the  still 
solid   surface    in   the   shade   beneath, —  the   tiny   particles 


opposite  page  66. 


Winter  Foliage. 


LOCAL    HISTORY    AND    INCIDENTS.  6/ 

with  a  silver  tinkle  and  the  larger  pieces  with  the 
sharp,  rattling  sound  of  the  Castanet, —  the  ear  is  charmed 
with  a  wild,  dashing  rataplan,  while  a  scene  of 
strange  enchantment  challenges  the  admiration  of  the 
spectator. 

Even  more  beautiful  and  fairy-like,  if  possible,  is  the 
garment  of  frozen  fog  with  which  all  external  objects  are 
adorned  and  etherealized  when  the  spring  advances  and 
the  temperature  of  the  water  is  raised.  As  the  sharp, 
still  night  wears  on,  the  light  mists  begin  to  rise,  and 
when  the  morning  breaks,  the  river  is  buried  in  a  deep, 
dense  bank  of  fog.  A  gentle  wave  of  air  bears  it 
landward ;  its  progress  is  stayed  by  everything  with 
which  it  comes  in  contact,  and  as  soon  as  its  motion 
is  arrested  it  freezes  sufficiently  to  adhere  to  whatever 
it  touches.  So  it  grows  upon  itself,  and  all  things  are 
soon  covered  half  an  inch  in  depth  with  a  most  deli- 
cate and  fragile  white  fringe  of  frozen  fog.  The  morn- 
ing sun  dispels  the  mist,  and  in  an  hour  the  gay  frost- 
work vanishes. 

The  ice  islands  are  sometimes  extensive.  In  the 
year  1856  the  whole  of  the  rocky  bar  above  Goat 
Island  was  covered  with  ice,  piled  together  in  a  rough 
heap,  the  lower  end  of  which  rested  on  Goat  Island  and 
the  three  Moss  Islands  lying  outside  of  it,  all  of  which 
were  visited  by  different  persons  passing  over  this  new 
route. 

The  ice  formed  on  the  rocks  below  the  American  Fall, 
stretched  upward,  reached  the  edge  of  the  precipice  just 
north  of  the  Little  Horseshoe,  continued  up-stream  above 


68  NIAGARA. 

Chapin's  Island,  spread  out  laterally  from  that  to  Goat 
Island  on  the  south,  and  over  nearly  half  of  the  American 
rapids  to  the  north.  At  the  brow  of  the  precipice  it 
accumulated  upward  until  it  formed  a  ridge  some  forty 
feet  high.  About  fifteen  rods  up-stream  another  ridge 
was  formed  of  half  the  height  of  the  first.  Every  rock 
projecting  upward  bore  an  immense  ice-cap.  Around 
and  between  these  mounds  and  caps  horses  were  driven 
to  sleighs,  albeit  the  course  was  not  favorable  for  quick 
time.  The  boys  drew  their  sleds  to  the  top  of  the  large 
mound,  slid  down  it,  up-stream,  and  nearly  to  the  top  of 
the  smaller  hill. 

On  the  lower  or  down-stream  side,  they  would  have 
had  a  clear  course  to  the  water  below,  at  the  brink  of 
the  Falls,  and  might  have  made  "time"  compared  with 
which  Dexter's  minimum  would  have  seemed  only  a 
funeral  march.  But  with  all  Young  America's  passion 
for  speed,  he  declined  to  try  this  route.  The  writer 
walked  over  the  south  end  of  Luna  Island,  above  the  tops 
of  the  trees. 

The  ice-bridge  of  that  year  filled  the  whole  chasm 
from  the  Railway  Suspension  Bridge  up  past  the  American 
Fall.  When  the  ice  broke  up  in  the  spring,  such  immense 
quantities  were  carried  down  that  a  strong  northerly  wind 
across  Lake  Ontario  caused  an  ice-jam  at  Fort  Niagara. 
The  ice  accumulated  and  set  back  until  it  reached  the 
Whirlpool,  and  could  be  crossed  at  any  point  between  the 
Whirlpool  and  the  Fort.  It  was  lifted  up  about  sixty  feet 
above  the  surface,  and  spread  out  over  both  shores,  crush- 
ing and  destroying  everything  with  which    it   came   in 


Ice  Bridge  and  Frost  Freaks. 


LOCAL    HLSTORY    AND    INCIDENTS.  69 

contact.  Many  persons  from  different  parts  of  the  country- 
visited  the  extraordinary  scene. 

At  Lewiston  the  writer,  with  many  others,  saw  a  most 
remarkable  illustration  of  the  terrific  power  of  this  hydro- 
static press.  Just  below  the  village,  on  the  American  side, 
there  stood,  about  two  rods  from  high-water  mark,  a  sound, 
thrifty,  tough  white-oak  tree,  perhaps  a  hundred  years 
old,  and  two  feet  in  diameter.  The  ice,  moved  by  the 
water,  struck  it  near  the  ground  and  pressed  it  outward 
and  upward,  until  it  was  actually  pulled  up  by  the  roots 
—  or  rather  some  of  the  roots  were  broken  and  others 
were  pulled  out — and  landed  twenty  feet  farther  away 
from  the  chasm. 

Those  who  watched  the  operation  stated  that,  from 
the  time  the  ice  touched  the  tree  until  it  was  landed  on 
the  bank  above,  the  motion  of  the  ice  could  not  be 
detected  by  the  eye. 

Slowly,  steadily,  surely  it  pressed  on.  Suddenly  there 
would  be  an  explosion,  sharp  and  loud,  when  a  root  gave 
way.  No  motion  in  the  ice  or  tree  could  be  discovered. 
After  a  lapse  of  two  or  three  hours  another  sharp  crack 
would  give  notice  of  another  fracture.  Thus  the  ice 
pressed  gradually  on,  and  in  ten  hours  the  work  was  done. 
A  thousandth  part  of  this  force  would  pulverize  a  bowlder 
of  adamant.  We  need  not  wonder,  therefore,  that  the 
river  Niagara  keeps  its  channel  clear. 

In  the  ice-gorge  of  1866  the  ice  was  set  back  to  the 

upper  end  of  the  Whirlpool,  over  which  it  was  twenty 

feet  deep.     The  Whirlpool  rapid  was  subdued  nearly  to 

an  unbroken   current,  which  all  the  way  below  to  Lake 

5a 


70  NIAGARA. 

Ontario  was  reduced  to  a  gentle  flow  of  quiet  waters. 
Never  was  there  a  sublimer  contest  of  the  great  forces  of 
nature.  The  frost  laid  its  hand  upon  the  raging  torrent 
and  it  was  still. 

The  winter  of  1875  was  intensely  cold.  The  singular 
figures  represented  in  the  illustrations  —  the  eagle,  dog, 
baboon,  and  others — are  exact  reproductions  of  the  real 
chance-work  of  the  frost  of  that  season.  The  long-con- 
tinued prevalence  of  the  south-west  wind  fastened  to 
every  object  facing  it  a  border  or  apron  of  dazzling 
whiteness,  and  more  than  five  feet  thick.  The  ice  mount- 
ain below  the  American  Fall,  reaching  nearly  to  the  top 
of  the  precipice,  was  appropriated  as  a  "coasting"  course, 
and  furnished  most  exhilarating  sport  to  the  people 
who  used  it.  A  large  number  of  visitors  came  from  all 
directions,  and,  on  the  22d  of  February,  fifteen  hundred 
were  assembled  to  see  the  extraordinary  exhibition. 

In  the  coldest  winters,  the  ice-bridges  cannot  be  less 
than  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  thick.  The  ice-bridge  of 
1875  formed  on  the  6th  and  7th  of  May,  was  crossed  on 
the  8th,  and  broke  up  on  the  14th — the  only  one  ever 
known  in  the  river  so  late  in  the  spring. 


Opposite  page  70.  Coasting  below  the  American   Fall. 


CHAPTER   X. 

Judge  Porter  —  General  Porter  —  Goat  Island  —  Origin  of  its  name  —  Early 
dates  found  cut  in  the  bark  of  trees  and  in  the  rock  —  Professor  Kalm's 
wonderful  story  -  Bridges  to  the  Island -Method  of  construction 
—  Red  Jacket  — Anecdotes  -  Grand  Island—  Major  Noah  and  the  New 
Jerusalem  —The  Stone  Tower  —  The  Biddle  Stairs  —  Sam  Patch  —Depth 
of  water  on  the  Horseshoe  —  Ships  sent  over  the  Falls. 

IN  preparing  this  narrative,  the  writer  has  had  the  good 
fortune  to  hsten  to  many  recitals  of  facts  and  incidents 
by  the  late  Judge  Augustus  Porter  and  the  late  General 
Peter  B.  Porter,  whose  names  are  intimately  and  honorably 
connected  with  the  more  recent  history,  not  only  of  this 
particular  locality  but  of  the  Empire  State. 

Judge  Porter,  after  having  spent  several  years  in  survey- 
ing and  lotting  large  portions  of  the  territory  of  Western 
New  York  and  the  Western  Reserve  in  Ohio,  came  from 
Canandaigua  to  Niagara  Falls  with  his  family  in  June, 
1806,  where  he  continued  to  live  until  his  death,  nearly 
fifty  years  afterward. 

General  Porter  settled  as  a  lawyer  at  Canandaigua  in 
1795,  removed  to  Black  Rock  in  18 10,  and  to  Niagara 
Falls  in  1838. 

In  1805,  the  two  brothers  became  interested  with 
others  in   the   purchase  from  the  State  of  New  York  of 


72  NIAGARA. 

four  lots  in  the  Mile  Strip  lying  both  above  and  below 
the  Falls. 

A  few  years  later,  they  purchased  not  only  the  interest 
of  their  partners  in  these  lots,  but  other  lands  at  different 
points  along  this  strip.  In  1814,  they  bought  of  Samuel 
Sherwood  a  paper  since  named  a  float — an  instrument 
given  by  the  State  authorizing  the  bearer  to  locate  two 
hundred  acres  of  any  of  the  unsold  or  unappropriated 
lands  belonging  to  the  State.  This  float  they  fortunately 
anchored  on  Goat  Island  and  the  islands  adjacent  thereto 
lying  "  immediately  above  and  adjoining  the  Great 
Falls." 

The  origin  of  the  name  of  Goat  Island  is  as  follows  : 
Mr.  John  Stedman,  who  came  into  the  country  in  1760, 
had  cleared  a  portion  of  the  upper  end  of  the  island,  and 
in  the  summer  of  1779  he  placed  on  it  an  aged  and 
dignified  male  goat.  The  following  winter  was  very 
severe,  navigation  to  the  island  was  impracticable,  and 
the  goat  fell  a  victim  to  the  intense  cold.  Since  which 
the  scene  of  his  exile  and  death  has  been  called  Goat 
Island. 

By  the  terms  of  the  Treaty  of  Ghent,  December  24, 
1 8 14,  the  boundary  line  between  Great  Britain  and  the 
United  States,  on  the  Niagara  frontier,  was  to  run  through 
the  deepest  water  along  the  river-courses  and  through  the 
center  of  the  Great  Lakes.  As  the  deepest  water,  at  this 
point,  is  in  the  center  of  the  Horseshoe  Fall,  the  islands 
in  the  river  fell  to  the  Americans.  General  Porter,  acting 
as  Commissioner  for  the  United  States,  proposed  to  call 
the  largest  one  Iris  Island,  and  it  was  so  printed  on  the 


LOCAL     HISTORY     AND     INCIDENTS.  73 

boundary  maps.      But  the  public  adhered  to  the  old  name 
of  Goat  Island. 

One  of  the  early  chronicles  states  that  the  island  con- 
tained two  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  land.  At  the  pres- 
ent time  there  are  in  it  less  than  seventy.  A  strip  some 
ten  rods  wide  by  eighty  rods  long  has  been  worn  away 
from  the  southern  side  of  it  since  1818,  when  Judge 
Porter  made  the  first  road  around  it. 

The  earliest  date  he  found  on  the  island  was  1765, 
carved  on  a  beech-tree.  The  earliest  date  cut  in  the  rock 
on  the  main-land  was  1645.  Human  bones  and  arrow- 
heads were  found  on  the  island.  The  Indians  went  to  it 
with  their  canoes,  which  they  paddled  up  and  down  in 
the  comparatively  quiet  water  lying  on  the  rocky  bar 
which  extends  upward  nearly  a  mile  above  the  head  of 
the  island. 

Notwithstanding  this  fact,  the  Swedish  naturalist, 
Kalm,  who  visited  the  place  in  1750,  relates  a  fabulous 
story  of  two  Indians  who,  on  a  hunting  excursion  above 
the  Falls,  drank  too  freely  from  "  two  bottles  of  French 
brandy"  which  they  brought  from  Fort  Niagara;  be- 
coming drowsy,  they  laid  themselves  down  in  the  bottom 
of  their  canoe  for  a  nap. 

The  canoe  swung  oft"  shore  and  floated  down-stream. 
Nearing  the  rapids,  the  noise  awakened  one  of  them, 
who  had  apparently  been  more  fortunate  in  learning 
the  English  language  from  the  French  than  most  of  his 
tribe,  for,  seeing  their  perilous  situation,  he  exclaimed  : 
"We  are  gone!"  But  the  two  plied  their  paddles  with 
such  aboriginal  vigor  that  they  succeeded  in  landing  on 


74  NIAGARA. 

Goat  Island.  From  the  sequel  it  would  seem  that  they 
must  have  destroyed  or  lost  their  canoe.  Finding  no 
houses  of  refreshment,  nor  cairns  of  stores  left  by  former 
explorers,  and  most  naturally  getting  hungry,  they  con- 
cluded it  would  be  desirable  to  get  back  to  the  fort  —  a 
wish  more  easily  expressed  than  accomplished. 

But  it  was  necessary  for  them  to  "do  or  die."  So,  as 
the  story  runs,  they  stripped  the  bark  from  the  basswood 
trees,  and  with  it  made  a  ladder  long  enough  to  reach 
from  a  tree  standing  on  the  edge  of  the  precipice  at  the 
foot  of  the  island  down  to  the  water  below. 

After  dropping  their  ladder  they  followed  it  down- 
ward. Reaching  the  water,  and  being  good  swimmers, 
they  plunged  in  with  great  glee,  expecting  to  be  able  to 
swim  across  to  the  opposite  shore,  which  they  could 
easily  climb.  But  the  counter  current  forced  them  back 
to  the  island. 

After  being  a  good  deal  bruised  on  the  rocks,  they 
were  compelled  to  abandon  the  attempt  to  cross,  and  then 
returned  up  their  ladder  to  the  island.  There,  after  much 
whooping,  they  attracted  the  notice  of  other  Indians  on 
the  shore.  These  reported  the  situation  at  the  fort,  and 
the  commandant  sent  up  a  party  of  whites  and  Indians 
to  rescue  them.  They  brought  with  them  four  light  pike- 
poles.  Going  to  a  point  opposite  the  head  of  the  island, 
they  exchanged  salutations  with  the  new  Crusoes,  and 
began  preparations  for  their  rescue.  Two  Indians  volun- 
teered to  undertake  the  task.  "They  took  leave  of  all 
their  friends  as  if  they  were  going  to  their  death."  Each 
Indian  rescuer,  according  to  the  wondrous  fable,  took  two 


LOCAL     HISTORY     AND     INCIDENTS.  75 

pike-poles  and  waded  across  the  channel  to  the  island, 
gave  each  of  the  Crusoes  a  pike-pole,  and  then  the  four 
waded  back  to  the  main-land,  where  they  were  joyfully 
received  by  their  anxious,  waiting  friends,  after  having 
been  "  nine  days  on  the  island." 

Remembering  that  the  water  in  mid-channel  is  twelve 
feet  deep,  with  a  twelve-mile  current,  we  must  concede 
this  to  be  the  most  marvelous  of  all  aquatic  achieve- 
ments. 

In  18 17  Judge  Porter  built  the  first  bridge  to  Goat 
Island,  about  forty  rods  above  the  present  bridge.  In 
the  following  spring  the  large  cakes  of  ice  from  the  river 
above,  not  being  sufficiently  broken  up  by  the  short 
stretch  of  rapids  over  which  they  passed,  struck  the 
bridge  with  terrific  force,  and  carried  away  the  greater 
part  of  it.  With  the  courage  and  enterprise  of  a  New- 
Englander,  the  next  season  he  constructed  another  bridge 
farther  down,  on  the  present  site,  rightly  judging  that  the 
ice  would  be  so  much  broken  up  before  reaching  it  as  to 
be  harmless. 

That  bridge,  with  constant  repairs  and  one  almost 
entire  renewal,  stood  firm  in  its  place  until  the  year  1856, 
when  it  was  removed  to  make  room  for  the  present  iron 
bridge.  The  old  piers  were  much  enlarged  and  strength- 
ened, and  also  raised  about  three  feet  higher  to  receive 
the  new  bridge.  As  nearly  every  stranger  inquires  how 
the  first  bridge  was  carried  over  the  turbulent  waters,  a 
brief  description  of  the  process  may  be  acceptable.  First, 
a  strong  bulkhead  was  built  in  the  shallow  water  next  to 
the  shore ;    a  solid  backing  was  put  in  behind  this,  and 


^6  NIAGARA. 

the  upper  surface  properly  graded  and  well  floored  with 
plank.  Strong  rollers  were  placed  parallel  with  the  stream 
and  fastened  to  the  floor.  In  the  old  forest  then  standing 
near  by  were  many  noble  oaks,  of  different  sizes  and 
great  length.  A  number  of  these  were  felled  and  hewed 
"tapering,"  as  it  was  termed,  so  that,  when  finished,  they 
were  about  eighteen  inches  square  at  the  butt,  fifteen  at 
the  top,  and  eighty  feet  long.  Through  the  small  ends 
were  bored  large  auger-holes.  These  sticks  were  placed, 
as  required,  on  the  rollers,  at  right  angles  to  the  stream, 
the  small  ends  over  the  water,  and  the  shore  ends  heavily 
weighted  down. 

The  first  stick  being  properly  placed,  levers  were 
applied  to  the  rollers  and  the  stick  was  run  out  until  the 
small  end  reached  an  eddy  in  the  water.  Then  another 
similar  stick  was  run  out  in  like  manner,  parallel  to  the  first, 
and  about  six  feet  from  it.  A  few  light,  strong  planks 
were  placed  across  and  made  fast.  Two  men  were  pro- 
vided each  with  strong,  iron-pointed  pike-staffs,  each  staff 
having  in  its  upper  end  a  hole,  through  which  was  drawn 
some  ten  feet  of  new  rope.  Thus  provided,  they  walked 
out  on  the  timbers,  drove  their  iron  pikes  down  among 
the  stones,  and  tied  them  fast  to  the  timbers.  Thus  the 
whole  problem  was  solved.  Around  these  pike-staffs  the 
first  pier  was  built  and  filled  with  stone.  Then  other 
timbers  were  run  out,  all  were  planked  over,  and  the  first 
span  was  completed.  The  other  spans  were  laid  in  the 
same  way. 

The  great  Indian  chief  and  orator,  Red  Jacket,  occa- 
sionally visited   Judge    and   General   Porter  —  the    latter 


LOCAL    HISTORY     AND     LMCIDENTS.  JJ 

then  living  at  Black  Rock.  Judge  Porter  told  this 
anecdote  of  the  chief:  He  visited  the  Falls  while  the 
mechanics  were  stretching  the  timbers  across  the  rapids 
for  the  second  bridge.  He  sat  for  a  long  time  on  a  pile 
of  plank,  watching  their  operations.  His  mind  seemed 
to  be  busy  both  with  the  past  and  the  present,  reflecting 
upon  the  vast  territory  his  race  once  possessed,  and 
intensely  conscious  of  the  fact  that  it  was  theirs  no 
longer.  Apparently  mortified,  and  vexed  that  its  pale- 
face owners  should  so  successfully  develop  and  improve 
it,   he   rose  from   his  seat,  and,  uttering  the  well-known 

Indian  guttural   "Ugh,  ugh!"   he  exclaimed:    "D n 

Yankee!  d n  Yankee  !  "  Then,  gathering  his  blanket- 
cloak  around  him,  with  his  usual  dignity  and  downcast 
eyes,  he  slowly  walked  away,  and  never  returned  to  the 
spot. 

Before  parting  with  the  distinguished  chief,  we  will 
repeat  after  General  Porter  two  other  anecdotes  charac- 
teristic of  him.  He  lived  not  far  from  Buffalo,  on  the 
Seneca  Reservation,  and  frequently  visited  the  late  Gen- 
eral Wadsworth,  at  Geneseo.  Indeed,  his  visits  grew  to 
be  somewhat  perplexing,  for  the  great  chief  must  be 
entertained  personally  by  the  host  of  the  establish- 
ment. 

Of  course  he  was  a  "teetotaler" — only  in  one  way. 
When  he  got  a  glass  of  good  liquor  he  drank  the  whole 
of  it.  He  was  very  fond  of  the  rich  apple-juice  of  the 
Geneseo  orchards.  Having  repeated  his  visits  to  General 
Wadsworth,  at  one  time,  with  rather  inconvenient  fre- 
quency, and  coming  one  day  when  the  General  saw  that  he 


yS  NIAGARA. 

had  been  drinking  pretty  freely  somewhere  else,  his  host 
concluded  he  would  not  offer  him  the  usual  refreshments. 
In  due  time,  therefore,  Red  Jacket  rose  and  excused  him- 
self As  he  was  leaving  the  room  the  orator  said,  "  General, 
hear!"  "Well,  what.  Red  Jacket?"  To  which  he  replied 
with  great  gravity  :  "  General,  when  I  get  home  to  mj- 
people,  and  they  ask  me  how  your  cider  tasted,  what 
shall  I  tell  them  ?  "      Of  course  he  got  the  cider. 

His  determined  and  constant  opposition  to  the  sale  of 
the  lands  belonging  to  the  Indians  is  well  known.  At 
the  council  held  at  Buffalo  Creek,  in  i8ii,he  was  se- 
lected by  the  Indians  to  answer  the  proposition  of  a  New 
York  land  company  to  buy  more  land.  The  Indians 
refused  to  sell,  although,  as  usual,  the  company  only 
wanted  "a  small  tract."  To  illustrate  the  system,  after 
the  speech-making  was  over.  Red  Jacket  placed  half  a 
dozen  Indians  on  a  log,  which  lay  near  by.  They  did 
not  sit  very  close  together,  but  had  plenty  of  room.  He 
then  took  a  white  man  who  wanted  "a  small  tract,"  and 
making  the  Indians  at  one  end  "  move  up,"  he  put  the 
white  man  beside  them.  Then  he  brought  another  "  small- 
tract"  white  man,  and  making  the  aborigines  "move 
up  "  once  more,  the  Indian  on  the  end  was  obliged  to  rise 
from  the  log.  He  repeated  this  process  until  but  one 
of  the  original  occupants  was  left  on  the  log.  Then  sud- 
denly he  shoved  him  off,  put  a  white  man  in  his  place, 
and  turning  to  the  land  agent  said  :  "  See  what  one 
small  tract  means;   white  man  all,  Indian  nothing.'" 

Colonel  William  L.  Stone,  in  his  "  Life  of  Red  Jacket," 
relates  the  following:   In   1816,  after  Red  Jacket  took  up 


LOCAL    HISTORY     AND     INCIDENTS.  79 

his  residence  on  Buffalo  Creek,  east  of  the  city,  a  young 
French  count  travehng  through  the  country  made  a  brief 
stay  at  Buffalo,  whence  he  sent  a  request  to  the  sachem 
to  visit  him  at  his  hotel. 

Red  Jacket,  in  reply,  informed  the  young  nobleman 
that  if  he  wished  to  see  the  old  chief  he  would  give  him 
a  welcome  greeting  at  his  cabin.  The  count  sent  again 
to  say  that  he  was  much  fatigued  by  his  journey  of  four 
thousand  miles,  which  he  had  made  for  the  purpose  of 
seeing  the  celebrated  Indian  orator,  Red  Jacket,  and 
thought  it  strange  that  he  should  not  be  willing  to  come 
four  miles  to  meet  him.  But  the  proud  and  shrewd  old 
chief  replied  that  he  thought  it  still  more  strange,  after 
the  count  had  traveled  so  great  a  distance  for  that  pur- 
pose, that  he  should  halt  only  a  few  miles  from  the 
home  of  the  man  he  had  come  so  far  to  see.  The 
count  finally  visited  the  sachem  at  his  house,  and 
was  much  pleased  with  the  dignity  and  wisdom  of 
his  savage  host.  The  point  of  etiquette  having  been 
satisfactorily  settled,  the  chief  accepted  an  invitation  to 
dinner,  and  was  no  doubt  able  to  tell  his  people  how  the 
count's  "cider"  tasted. 

In  1 8 19,  when  the  boundary  commissioners  ran  the 
line  through  the  Niagara  River,  Grand  Island  fell  to  the 
United  States,  under  the  rule  that  that  line  should  be  in 
the  center  of  the  main  channel.  To  ascertain  this,  accu- 
rate measurements  were  made,  by  which  it  was  found  that 
1 2,802,750  cubic  feet  of  water  passed  through  the  Canadian 
channel,  and  8,540,080  through  the  American  channel. 
To  test  the  accuracy  of  these  measurements,  the  quantity 


80  NIAGARA. 

passing  in  the  narrow  channel  at  Black  Rock  was  deter- 
mined by  the  same  method,  and  was  found  to  be 
21,549,590  cubic  feet,  thus  substantially  corroborating  the 
first  two  measurements. 

The  Indian  name  of  Grand  Island  is  Owanunga.  In 
1825,  Mr.  M.  M.  Noah,  a  politician  of  the  last  generation, 
took  some  preliminary  steps  for  reestablishing  the  lost 
nationality  of  the  Jews  upon  this  island,  where  a  New 
Jerusalem  was  to  be  founded.  Assuming  the  title  of 
"  Judge  of  Israel,"  he  appeared  at  Buffalo  in  September 
for  the  purpose  of  founding  the  new  nation  and  city.  A 
meeting  was  held  in  old  St.  Paul's  Church,  at  which, 
with  the  aid  of  a  militia  company,  martial  music,  and 
masonic  rites,  the  remarkable  initiatory  proceedings  took 
place. 

The  self-constituted  judge  presented  himself  arrayed 
in  gorgeous  robes  of  office,  consisting  of  a  rich  black  cloth 
tunic,  covered  by  a  capacious  mantle  of  crimson  silk  trim- 
med with  ermine,  and  having  a  richly  embossed  golden 
medal  hanging  from  his  neck.  After  what,  in  the  account 
published  in  his  own  paper  of  the  day's  proceedings,  he 
called  "  impressive  and  unique  ceremonies,"  he  read  a 
proclamation  to  "all  the  Jews  throughout  the  world,"  in- 
forming them  "that  an  Asylum  was  prepared  and  offered 
to  them,"  and  that  he  did  "revive,  renew,  and  establish 
(in  the  Lord's  name),  the  government  of  the  Jewish 
nation,  *  *  *  confirming  and  perpetuating  all  our 
rights  and  privileges,  our  rank  and  power,  among  the 
nations  of  the  earth  as  they  existed  and  were  recognized 
under  the  government  of  the  Judges."     He  also  ordered 


LOCAL    HISTORY    AND     INCIDENTS.  8 1 

a  census  to  be  taken  of  all  the  Hebrews  in  the  world,  and 
levied  a  capitation  tax  of  three  shekels  —  about  one  dol- 
lar and  sixty  cents —  "  to  pay  the  expenses  of  re-organiz- 
ing the  government  and  assisting  emigrants."  He  had 
prepared  a  "  foundation  stone,"  which  was  afterward 
erected  on  the  site  of  the  new  city,  and  which  bore  the 
following  inscription: 

"  Hear,  O  Israel,  the  Lord 
is  our  God  —  the  Lord  is  one." 

"ARARAT, 

A   CITY    OF    REFUGE    FOR    THE    JEWS, 

FOUNDED     BY     MORDECAI     MANUEL    NOAH, 

IN    THE    MONTH     OF    TISRI     5586  —  SEPT.     1825, 

IN  THE  FIFTIETH  YEAR  OF 

AMERICAN     INDEPENDENCE." 

After  the  meeting  at  St.  Paul's,  the  "  Judge "  re- 
turned at  once  to  New  York,  and,  like  the  great  early 
ruler  of  his  nation,  he  only  saw  the  land  of  promise,  as 
he  never  crossed  to  the  island. 

The  strong  round  tower,  called  the  Terrapin  Tower, 
which  stood  near  Goat  Island,  not  far  from  the  precipice, 
was  built  in  1833,  of  stones  gathered  in  the  vicinity.  It 
was  forty-five  feet  high,  and  twelve  feet  in  diameter  at 
the  base.  So  much  was  said  in  1873  about  the  growing 
insecurity  of  the  tower  that  it  was  taken  down. 

The  Biddle  Staircase  was  named  for  Mr.  Nicholas 
Biddle,  of  Philadelphia,  who  contributed  a  sum  of  money 
6 


82  NIAGARA. 

toward  its  construction.  It  was  erected  in  1829.  The 
shaft  is  eighty  feet  high  and  firmly  fastened  to  the  rock. 
The  stairs  are  spiral,  winding  round  it  from  top  to  bot- 
tom. Near  the  foot  of  these  stairs,  at  the  water's  edge, 
Samuel  Patch,  who  wished  to  demonstrate  to  the  world 
that  "  some  things  could  be  done  as  well  as  others,"  set  up 
a  ladder  one  hundred  feet  high,  from  which  he  made  two 
leaps  into  the  water  below.  Going  thence  to  Rochester, 
he  took  another  leap  near  the  Genesee  Falls,  which 
proved  to  be  his  last. 

The  depth  of  water  on  the  Horseshoe  Fall  is  a  subject 
of  speculation  with  every  visitor.  It  was  correctly  deter- 
mined in  1827.  In  the  autumn  of  that  year,  the  ship  Miclii- 
gan,  having  been  condemned  as  unseaworthy,  was  pur- 
chased by  a  few  persons,  and  sent  over  the  Falls.  Her  hull 
w^as  eighteen  feet  deep.  It  filled  going  down  the  rapids, 
and  went  over  the  Horseshoe  Fall  with  some  water  above 
the  deck,  indicating  that  there  must  have  been  at  least 
twenty  feet  of  water  above  the  rock.  This  voyage  of  the 
Michigan  was  an  event  of  the  day.  A  glowing  hand-bill, 
charged  with  bold  type  and  sensational  tropes,  announced 
that  "  The  Pirate  Michigan,  with  a  cargo  of  furious  ani- 
mals," would  "  pass  the  great  rapids  and  the  Falls  of 
Niagara,"  on  the  "eighth  of  September,  1827."  She 
would  sail  "  through  the  white-tossing  and  deep-rolling 
rapids  of  Niagara,  and  down  its  grand  precipice  into  the 
basin  below."  Entertainment  was  promised  "for  all  who 
may  visit  the  Falls  on  the  .present  occasion,  which  will, 
for  its  novelty  and  the  remarkable  spectacle  it  will  present, 
be  unequaled  in  the  annals  of  infernal  navigation."    Con- 


LOCAL     HISTORY    AND    INCIDENTS.  83 

sidering  that  the  Falls  could  be  reached  only  by  road 
conveyances,  the  gathering  of  people  was  very  large. 
The  voyage  was  successfully  made,  and  the  "  cargo  of  live 
animals"  duly  deposited  in  the  "basin  below,"  except  a 
bear  which  left  the  ship  near  the  center  of  the  rapids  and 
swam  ashore,  but  was  recaptured. 

Two  enterprising  individuals  made  arrangements  to 
supply  the  people  assembled  on  the  island  with  refresh- 
ments. They  had  an  ample  spread  of  tables  and  an 
abundant  supply  of  provisions.  As  there  was  much  de- 
lay in  getting  the  vessel  down  the  river,  the  people  got 
impatient  and  hungry.  They  took  their  places  at  the 
tables.  When  their  appetites  were  nearly  satisfied,  notice 
was  given  that  the  ship  was  coming,  whereupon  they 
departed  hurriedly,  forgetting  to  leave  the  equivalent 
half-dollar  for  the  benefit  of  the  purveyors. 

In  after  years,  one  of  the  proprietors  of  this  unex- 
pected "free  lunch" — the  late  General  Whitney  —  estab- 
lished here  one  of  the  best  hotels  in  the  country,  and  left 
his  heirs  an  ample  fortune. 

A  few  geese  in  the  cargo  were  only  badly  confused 
by  their  unusual  plunge,  and  were  afterward  picked 
up  from  boats.  It  was  noticed  as  being  a  little  singu- 
lar that  geese  which  went  over  the  Falls  in  the  Pirate 
Michigan  were  for  sale  at  extravagant  prices  all  the 
next  season. 

Another  condemned  vessel  of  about  five  hundred  tons 
burden,  the  Detroit,  which  had  belonged  to  Commodore 
Perry's  victorious  fleet,  was  sent  down  the  rapids  in  1841. 
A  large  concourse  of  people  assembled  from  all  parts  of 


84  NIAGARA. 

the  country  to  witness  the  spectacle.  Her  rolHng  and 
plunging  in  the  rapids  were  fearful,  until  about  midway 
of  them  she  stuck  fast  on  a  bar,  where  she  lay  until 
knocked  to  pieces  by  the  ice.  From  Baron  La  Hontan 
we  know  that  the  Indians  went  on  the  water,  just  below 
the  Falls,  in  their  canoes,  to  gather  the  game  which  had 
been  swept  over  them.  For  more  than  a  hundred  years 
there  has  been  a  ferry  of  skiff  and  yawl  boats  at  this 
point,  and  in  all  that  time  not  one  serious  accident  has 
happened. 


CHAPTER    XL 

Joel  R.  Robinson,  the  first  and  last  navigator  of  the  Rapids  —  Rescue  of 
Chapin — Rescue  of  Allen  —  He  takes  the  Maid  of  the  Mist  through  the 
Whirlpool  —  His  companions  —  Effect  upon  Robinson  —  Biographical 
notice —  His  grave  unmarked. 

THE  history  of  the  navigation  of  the  Rapids  of  Niagara 
may  be  appropriately  concluded  in  this  chapter, 
which  is  devoted  to  a  notice  of  the  remarkable  man  who 
began  it,  who  had  no  rival  and  has  left  no  successor  in  it 
—  Joel  R.  Robinson. 

In  the  summer  of  1838,  while  some  extensive  repairs 
were  being  made  on  the  main  bridge  to  Goat  Island,  a 
mechanic  named  Chapin  fell  from  the  lower  side  of  it  into 
the  rapids,  about  ten  rods  from  the  Bath  Island  shore. 
The  swift  current  bore  him  toward  the  first  small  island 
lying  below  the  bridge.  Knowing  how  to  swim,  he  made 
a  desperate  and  successful  effort  to  reach  it.  It  is  hardly 
more  than  thirty  feet  square,  and  is  covered  with  cedars 
and  hemlocks.  Saved  from  drowning,  he  seemed  likely 
to  fall  a  victim  to  starvation.  All  thoughts  were  then 
turned  to  Robinson,  and  not  in  vain.  He  launched  his 
light  red  skiff  from  the  foot  of  Bath  Island,  picked  his 
way  cautiously  and  skillfully  through  the  rapids  to  the 
little  island,  took  Chapin  in  and  brought  him  safely  to 
6a 


86  NIAGARA. 

the  shore,  much  to  the  rehef  of  the  spectators,  who  gave 
expression  to  their  appreciation  of  Robinson's  service  by 
a  moderate  contribution. 

In  the  summer  of  1841,  a  Mr.  Allen  started  for  Chip- 
pewa in  a  boat  just  before  sunset.  Being  anxious  to  get 
across  before  dark,  he  plied  his  oars  with  such  vigor  that 
one  of  them  broke  when  he  was  about  opposite  the  middle 
Sister.  With  the  remaining  oar  he  tried  to  make  the 
head  of  Goat  Island.  The  current,  however,  set  too 
strongly  toward  the  great  Canadian  Rapids,  and  his  only 
hope  was  to  reach  the  outer  Sister.  Nearing  this,  and 
not  being  able  to  run  his  boat  upon  it,  he  sprang  out, 
and,  being  a  good  swimmer,  by  a  vigorous  effort  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  ashore.  Certain  of  having  a  lonely  if 
not  an  unpleasant  night,  and  being  the  fortunate  pos- 
sessor of  two  stray  matches,  he  lighted  a  fire  and  solaced 
himself  with  his  thoughts  and  his  pipe.  Next  morning, 
taking  off  his  red  flannel  shirt,  he  raised  a  signal  of  dis- 
tress. Toward  noon  the  unusual  smoke  and  the  red  flag 
attracted  attention.  The  situation  was  soon  ascertained, 
and  Robinson  informed  of  it.  Not  long  after  noon, 
the  little  red  skiff  was  carried  across  Goat  Island  and 
launched  in  the  channel  just  below  the  Moss  Islands. 
Robinson  then  pulled  himself  across  to  the  foot  of  the 
middle  Sister,  and  tried  in  vain  to  find  a  point  where  he 
could  cross  to  the  outer  one.  Approaching  darkness 
compelled  him  to  suspend  operations.  He  rowed  back  to 
Goat  Island,  got  some  refreshments,  returned  to  the 
middle  Sister,  threw  the  food  across  to  Allen,  and  then 
left  him  to  his  second  night  of  solitude.     The  next  day 


Opixisite  page  86.  Jocl    R.     RobillSOIl. 


LOCAL    HISTORY     AND     INCIDENTS.  8/ 

Robinson  took  with  him  two  long,  hght,  strong  cords, 
with  a  properly  shaped  piece  of  lead  weighing  about  a 
pound.  Tying  the  lead  to  one  of  the  cords  he  threw  it 
across  to  Allen.  Robinson  fastened  the  other  end  of 
Allen's  cord  to  the  bow  of  the  skiff;  then  attaching  his 
own  cord  to  the  skiff  also,  he  shoved  it  off.  Allen  drew 
it  to  himself,  got  into  it,  pushed  off,  and  Robinson  drew 
him  to  where  he  stood  on  the  middle  island.  Then  seat- 
ing Allen  in  the  stern  of  the  skiff  he  returned  across  the 
rapids  to  Goat  Island,  where  both  were  assisted  up  the 
bank  by  the  spectators,  and  the  little  craft,  too,  which 
seemed  to  be  almost  as  much  an  object  of  curiosity  with 
the  crowd  as  Robinson  himself 

This  was  the  second  person  rescued  by  Robinson 
from  islands  which  had  been  considered  wholly  inacces- 
sible. It  is  no  exaggeration  to  say  that  there  was  not 
another  man  in  the  country  who  could  have  saved 
Chapin  and  Allen  as  he  did. 

In  the  summer  of  1855  a  canal-boat,  with  two  men 
and  a  dog  in  it,  was  discovered  in  the  strong  current  near 
Grass  Island.  The  men,  finding  they  could  not  save  the 
large  boat,  took  to  their  small  one  and  got  ashore, 
leaving  the  dog  to  his  fate.  The  abandoned  craft  floated 
down  and  lodged  on  the  rocks  on  the  south  side  of  Goat 
Island,  and  about  twenty  rods  above  the  ledge  over  which 
the  rapids  make  the  first  perpendicular  break.  There 
were  left  in  the  boat  a  watch,  a  gun,  and  some  articles  of 
clothing.  The  owner  offered  Robinson  a  liberal  salvage 
if  he  would  recover  the  property.  Taking  one  of  his 
sons  with   him,  he   started   the   little  red  skiff  from  the 


88  NIAGARA. 

head  of  the  hydraulic  canal,  half  a  mile  above  the  island, 
shot  across  the  American  channel,  and  ran  directly  to  the 
boat.  Holding  the  skiff  to  it  himself,  the  young  man  got 
on  board  and  secured  the  valuables.  The  dog  had  es- 
caped during  the  night.  Leaving  the  canal-boat,  Robinson 
ran  down  the  ledge  between  the  second  and  third  Moss 
Islands,  and  thence  to  Goat  Island.  On  going  over  the 
ledge  he  had  occasion  to  exercise  that  quickness  of 
apprehension  and  presence  of  mind  for  which  he  was  so 
noted.  The  water  was  rather  lower  than  he  had  calcu- 
lated, and  on  reaching  the  top  of  the  ledge  the  bottom 
of  the  skiff  near  the  bow  struck  the  rock.  Instantly  he 
sprang  to  the  stern,  freed  the  skiff,  and  made  the  descent 
safely.  If  the  stern  had  swung  athwart  the  current,  the 
skiff  would  certainly  have  been  wrecked. 

In  the  year  1846,  a  small  steamer  was  built  in  the 
eddy  just  above  the  Railway  Suspension  Bridge,  to  run  up 
to  the  Falls.  She  was  very  appropriately  named  The 
Maid  of  the  Mist.  Her  engine  was  rather  weak,  but  she 
safely  accomplished  the  trip.  As,  however,  she  took 
passengers  aboard  only  from  the  Canadian  side,  she  could 
pay  little  more  than  expenses.  In  1854  a  larger,  better 
boat,  with  a  more  powerful  engine,  the  new  Maid  of  the 
Mist,  was  put  on  the  route,  and  as  she  took  passengers 
from  both  sides  of  the  river,  many  thousands  of  per- 
sons made  the  exciting  and  impressive  voyage  up  to  the 
Falls.  The  admiration  which  the  visitor  felt  as  he  passed 
quietly  along  near  the  American  Fall  was  changed  into 
awe  when  he  began  to  feel  the  mighty  pulse  of  the  great 
deep  just  below  the    tower,  then  swung  round  into  the 


LOCAL     HISTORY     AND    INCIDENTS.  89 

white  foam  directly  in  front  of  the  Horseshoe,  and  saw 
the  sky  of  waters  falHng  toward  him.  And  he  seemed  to 
be  hfted  on  wings  as  he  sailed  swiftly  down  on  the  rushing 
stream  through  a  baptism  of  spray.  To  many  persons 
there  was  a  fascination  about  it  that  induced  them  to 
make  the  trip  every  time  they  had  an  opportunity  to  do 
so.  Owing  to  some  change  in  her  appointments,  which 
confined  her  to  the  Canadian  shore  for  the  reception  of 
passengers,  she  became  unprofitable.  Her  owner,  having 
decided  to  leave  the  neighborhood,  wished  to  sell  her  as 
she  lay  at  her  dock.  This  he  could  not  do,  but  he 
received  an  offer  of  something  more  than  half  of  her 
cost,  if  he  would  deliver  her  at  Niagara,  opposite  the 
fort.  This  he  decided  to  do,  after  consultation  with 
Robinson,  who  had  acted  as  her  captain  and  pilot  on 
her  trips  below  the  Falls.  The  boat  required  for  her 
navigation  an  engineer,  who  also  acted  as  fireman,  and  a 
pilot. 

Mr.  Robinson  agreed  to  act  as  pilot  for  the  fearful 
voyage,  and  the  engineer,  Mr.  Jones,  consented  to  go 
with  him.  A  courageous  machinist,  Mr.  Mclntyre, 
volunteered  to  share  the  risk  with  them.  They  put  her 
in  complete  trim,  removing  from  deck  and  hold  all 
superfluous  articles.  Notice  was  given  of  the  time  for 
starting,  and  a  large  number  of  people  assembled  to  see 
the  fearful  plunge,  no  one  expecting  to  see  the  crew 
again  alive  after  they  should  leave  the  dock.  This 
dock,  as  has  been  before  stated,  was  just  above  the 
Railway  Suspension  Bridge,  at  the  place  where  she  was 
built,   and   where  she  was   laid   up   in   the   winter  —  that. 


90  NIAGARA. 

too,  being  the  only  place  where  she  could  lie  without 
danger  of  being  crushed  by  the  ice.  Twenty  rods  below 
this  eddy  the  water  plunges  sharply  down  into  the  head 
of  the  crooked,  tumultuous  rapid  which  we  have  before 
noticed  as  reaching  from  the  bridge  to  the  Whirlpool. 
At  the  Whirlpool,  the  danger  of  being  drawn  under  was 
most  to  be  apprehended  ;  in  the  rapids,  of  being  turned 
over  or  knocked  to  pieces.  From  the  Whirlpool  to 
Lewiston  is  one  wild,  turbulent  rush  and  whirl  of  water, 
without  a  square  foot  of  smooth  surface  in  the  whole 
distance. 

About  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  June  15, 
1 86 1,  the  engineer  took  his  place  in  the  hold,  and, 
knowing  that  their  flitting  would  be  short  at  the  best, 
and  might  be  only  the  preface  to  swift  destruction,  set 
his  steam- valve  at  the  proper  gauge,  and  awaited  —  not 
without  anxiety  —  the  tinkling  signal  that  should  start 
them  on  their  flying  voyage.  Mclntyre  joined  Robinson 
at  the  wheel  on  the  upper  deck.  Self-possessed,  and 
with  the  calmness  which  results  from  undoubting  courage 
and  confidence,  yet  with  the  humility  which  recognizes 
all  possibilities,  with  downcast  eyes  and  firm  hands, 
Robinson  took  his  place  at  the  wheel  and  pulled  the 
starting  bell.  With  a  shriek  from  her  whistle  and  a  white 
puff  from  her  escape-pipe,  to  take  leave,  as  it  were,  of 
the  multitude  gathered  on  the  shores  and  on  the  bridge, 
the  boat  ran  up  the  eddy  a  short  distance,  then  swung 
round  to  the  right,  cleared  the  smooth  water,  and  shot 
like  an  arrow  into  the  rapid  under  the  bridge.  Robin- 
son intended  to  take  the  inside  curve  of  the  rapid,  but  a 


LOCAL     HISTORY    AND     INCIDENTS.  9 1 

fierce  cross-current  carried  him  to  the  outer  curve,  and 
when  a  third  of  the  way  down  it  a  jet  of  water  struck 
against  her  rudder,  a  column  dashed  up  under  her  star- 
board side,  heeled  her  over,  carried  away  her  smoke- 
stack, started  her  overhang  on  that  side,  threw  Robinson 
flat  on  his  back,  and  thrust  Mclntyre  against  her  star- 
board wheel-house  with  such  force  as  to  break  it  through. 
Every  eye  was  fixed,  every  tongue  was  silent,  and  every 
loooker-on  breathed  freer  as  she  emerged  from  the  fearful 
baptism,  shook  her  wounded  sides,  slid  into  the  Whirlpool, 
and  for  a  moment  rode  again  on  an  even  keel.  Robinson 
rose  at  once,  seized  the  helm,  set  her  to  the  right  of  the 
large  pot  in  the  pool,  then  turned  her  directly  through 
the  neck  of  it.  Thence,  after  receiving  another  drenching 
from  its  combing  waves,  she  dashed  on  without  further 
accident  to  the  quiet  bosom  of  the  river  below  Lewiston. 

Thus  was  accomplished  one  of  the  most  remarkable 
and  perilous  voyages  ever  made  by  men.  The  boat  was 
seventy-two  feet  long,  with  seventeen  feet  breadth  of 
beam  and  eight  feet  depth  of  hold,  and  carried  an  en- 
gine of  one  hundred  horse-power.  In  conversation  with 
Robinson  after  the  voyage,  he  stated  that  the  greater 
part  of  it  was  like  what  he  had  always  imagined  must 
be  the  swift  sailing  of  a  large  bird  in  a  downward  flight ; 
that  when  the  accident  occurred  the  boat  seemed  to  be 
struck  from  all  directions  at  once  ;  that  she  trembled  like 
a  fiddle-string,  and  felt  as  if  she  would  crumble  away  and 
drop  into  atoms;  that  both  he  and  Mclntyre  were  hold- 
ing to  the  wheel  with  all  their  strength,  but  produced  no 
more  effect  than  they  would  if  they  had  been  two  flies ; 


92  NIAGARA. 

that  he  had  no  fear  of  striking  the  rocks,  for  he  knew  that 
the  strongest  suction  must  be  in  the  deepest  channel,  and 
that  the  boat  must  remain  in  that.  Finding  that  Mclntyre 
was  somewhat  bewildered  by  excitement  or  by  his  fall,  as 
he  rolled  up  by  his  side  but  did  not  rise,  he  quietly  put  his 
foot  on  his  breast,  to  keep  him  from  rolling  around  the 
deck,  and  thus  finished  the  voyage. 

Poor  Jones,  imprisoned  beneath  the  hatches  before 
the  glowing  furnace,  went  down  on  his  knees,  as  he  re- 
lated afterward,  and  although  a  more  earnest  prayer  was 
never  uttered  and  few  that  were  shorter,  still  it  seemed  to 
him  prodigiously  long.  To  that  prayer  he  thought  they 
owed  their  salvation. 

The  effect  of  this  trip  upon  Robinson  was  decidedly 
marked.  As  he  lived  only  a  few  years  afterward,  his 
death  was  commonly  attributed  to  it.  But  this  was  in- 
correct, since  the  disease  which  terminated  his  life  was 
contracted  at  New  Orleans  at  a  later  day.  "  He  was," 
said  Mrs.  Robinson  to  the  writer,  "  twenty  years  older 
when  he  came  home  that  day  than  when  he  went  out." 
He  sank  into  his  chair  like  a  person  overcome  with  weari- 
ness. He  decided  to  abandon  the  water,  and  advised  his 
sons  to  venture  no  more  about  the  rapids.  Both  his  man- 
ner and  appearance  were  changed.  Calm  and  deliberate 
before,  he  became  thoughtful  and  serious  afterward.  He 
had  been  borne,  as  it  were,  in  the  arms  of  a  power  so 
mighty  that  its  impress  was  stamped  on  his  features  and 
on  his  mind.  Through  a  slightly  opened  door  he  had 
seen  a  vision  which  awed  and  subdued  him.  He  became 
reverent  in  a  moment.      He  grew  venerable  in  an  hour. 


LOCAL    HISTORY     AND     INCIDENTS.  93     . 

Yet  he  had  a  strange,  almost  irrepressible,  desire  to 
make  this  voyage  immediately  after  the  steamer  was  put 
on  below  the  Falls.  The  wish  was  only  increased  when 
the  first  Maid  of  the  Mist  was  superseded  by  the  new 
and  stancher  one.  He  insisted  that  the  voyage  could 
be  made  with  safety,  and  that  it  might  be  made  a  good 
pecuniary  speculation. 

He  was  a  character— an  original.  Born  on  the  banks 
of  the  Connecticut,  in  the  town  of  Springfield,  Massachu- 
setts, it  was  in  the  beautiful  reach  of  water  which  skirts 
that  city  that  he  acquired  his  love  of  aquatic  sports  and 
exercises  and  his  skill  in  them.  He  was  nearly  six  feet  in 
stature,  with  light  chesnut  hair,  blue  eyes,  and  fair  com- 
plexion. He  was  a  kind-hearted  man,  of  equable  temper, 
few  words,  cool,  deliberate,  decided  ;  lithe  as  a  Gaul  and 
gentle  as  a  girl.  It  goes  without  saying  that  he  was  a 
man  of  "  undaunted  courage."  He  had  that  calm,  serene, 
supreme  equanimity  of  temperament  which  fear  could  not 
reach  nor  disturb.  He  might  have  been,  under  right 
conditions,  a  quiet,  willing  martyr,  and  at  last  he  bore 
patiently  the  wearying  hours  of  slow  decay  which  ended 
his  life.  His  love  of  nature  and  adventure  was  paramount 
to  his  love  of  money,  and  although  he  was  never  pinched 
with  poverty,  he  never  had  abundance. 

He  loved  the  water,  and  was  at  home  in  it  or  on  it,  as 
he  was  a  capital  swimmer  and  a  skillful  oarsman.  ^Espe- 
cially he  delighted  in  the  rapids  of  the  Niagara.  Kind  and 
compassionate  as  he  was  by  nature,  he  was  almost  glad 
when  he  heard  that  a  fellow-creature  was,  in  some  way, 
entangled  in  the   rapids,  since  it  would   give  him  an  ex- 


94  NIAGARA, 

cuse,  an  opportunity,  to  work  in  them  and  to  help  him. 
As  he  was  not  a  boaster,  he  made  no  superfluous  exhi- 
bitions of  his  skill  or  courage,  albeit  he  might  occasionally 
indulge  —  and  be  indulged  —  in  some  mirthful  manifesta- 
tion of  his  good-nature  ;  as  when,  on  reaching  Chapin's 
refuge  for  his  rescue,  he  waved  from  one  of  its  tallest 
cedars  a  green  branch  to  the  anxious  spectators,  as  if  to 
assure  and  encourage  them  ;  and  when  he  returned  with 
his  skiff  half  filled  with  cedar-sprigs,  which  he  distributed 
to  the  multitude,  they  raised  his  pet  craft  to  their  shoul- 
ders, with  both  Chapin  and  himself  in  it,  and  bore  them 
in  triumph  through  the  village,  while  money  tokens  were 
thrown  into  the  boat  to  replace  the  green  ones. 

He  never  foolishly  challenged  the  admiration  of  his 
fellow-men.  But  when  the  emergency  arose  for  the 
proper  exercise  of  his  powers,  when  news  came  that 
some  one  was  in  trouble  in  the  river,  then  he  went  to 
work  with  a  calm  and  cheerful  will  which  gave  assurance 
of  the  best  results.  Beneath  his  quiet  deliberation  of 
manner  there  was  concealed  a  wonderful  vigor  both  of 
resolution  and  nerve,  as  was  amply  shown  by  the  dangers 
which  he  faced,  and  by  the  bend  in  his  withy  oar  as  he 
forced  it  through  the  water,  and  the  feathery  spray  which 
flashed  from  its  blade  when  he  lifted  it  to  the  surface. 

In  all  fishing  and  sailing  parties  his  presence  was  in- 
dispensable for  those  who  knew  him.  The  most  timid 
child  or  woman  no  longer  hesitated  if  Robinson  was  to  go 
with  the  party.  His  quick  eye  saw  everything,  and  his 
willing  hand  did  all  that  it  was  necessary  to  do,  to  secure 
the  comfort  and  safety  of  the  company. 


LOCAL     HISTORY    AND     INCIDENTS.  95 

It  is  doubtful  whether  more  than  a  very  few  of  his 
neighbors  know  where  he  lies,  in  an  unmarked  grave 
in  Oakwood  Cemetery,  near  the  rapids.  Robinson  went 
forth  on  a  turbulent,  unreturning  flood,  where  the  slightest 
hesitancy  in  thought  or  act  would  have  proved  instantly 
fatal.  Benevolent  associations  in  different  cities  and  coun- 
tries bestow  honor  and  rewards  on  those  who,  by  unselfish 
effort  and  a  noble  courage,  save  the  life  of  a  fellow-being. 
This  Robinson  did  repeatedly,  yet  no  monument  com- 
memorates his  worthy  deeds. 


CHAPTER    XII. 


A  fisherman  and  a  bear  in  a  canoe  —  Frightful  experience  with  floating  ice — 
Early  farming  on  the  Niagara  —  Fruit  growing  —  The  original  forest 
—  Testimony  of  the  trees  —  The  first  hotel  —  General  Whitney  — 
Cataract  House — Distinguished  visitors  —  Carriage  road  down  the 
Canadian  bank  —  Ontario  House  —  Clifton  House — The  Museum  — 
Table  and  Termination  Rocks  —  Burning  Spring — Lundy's  Lane  — 
Battle   Anecdotes. 


SOON  after  the  War  of  1812,  a  fisherman  —  whose 
name  we  will  call  Fisher  —  on  a  certain  day  went 
out  upon  the  river,  about  three  miles  above  the  Fall  ; 
and  while  anchored  and  fishing  from  his  canoe,  he  saw  a 
bear  in  the  water  making,  very  leisurely,  for  Navy  Island. 
Not  understanding  thoroughly  the  nature  and  habits  of 
the  animal,  thinking  he  would  be  a  capital  prize,  and 
having  a  spear  in  the  canoe,  he  hoisted  anchor  and 
started  in  pursuit.  As  the  canoe  drew  near,  the  bear 
turned  to  pay  his  respects  to  its  occupant.  Fisher,  with 
his  spear,  made  a  desperate  thrust  at  him.  Quicker 
and  more  deftly  than  the  most  expert  fencer  could  have 
done  it,  the  quadruped  parried  the  blow,  and,  disarming  his 
assailant,  knocked  the  spear  more  than  ten  feet  from  the 
canoe.  Fisher  then  seized  a  paddle  and  belabored  the 
bear  over  his  head  and  on  his  paws,  as  he  placed  the 
latter  on  the  side  of  the  canoe  and  drew  himself  in.     The 


LOCAL     HISTORY     AND     INCIDENTS.  9/ 

now  frightened  fisherman,  not  knowing  how  to  swim,  was 
in  a  most  uncomfortable  predicament.  He  felt  greatly 
relieved,  therefore,  when  the  animal  deliberately  sat  him- 
self down,  facing  him,  in  the  bow  of  the  canoe.  Resolving 
in  his  own  mind  that  he  would  generously  resign  the 
whole  canoe  to  the  creature  as  soon  as  he  should  reach 
the  land,  he  raised  his  paddle  and  began  to  pull  vigor- 
ously shoreward,  especially  as  the  rapids  lay  just 
below  him,  and  the  Falls  were  roaring  most  omi- 
nously. 

Much  to  his  surprise,  as  soon  as  he  began  to  paddle 
Bruin  began  to  growl,  and,  as  he  repeated  his  stroke,  the 
occupant  of  the  bow  raised  his  note  of  disapproval  an 
octave  higher,  and  at  the  same  time  made  a  motion  as 
if  he  would  attack  him.  Fisher  had  no  desire  to  culti- 
vate a  closer  intimacy,  and  so  stopped  paddling. 

Bruin  serenely  contemplated  the  landscape  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  island.  Fisher  was  also  intensely  interested  in 
the  same  scene,  and  still  more  intensely  impressed  with 
their  gradual  approach  to  the  rapids.  He  tried  the  pad- 
dle again.  But  the  tyrant  of  the  quarter-deck  again 
emphatically  objected,  and  as  he  was  master  of  the 
situation,  and  fully  resolved  not  to  resign  the  command 
of  the  craft  until  the  termination  of  the  voyage,  there  was 
no  alternative  but  submission.  Still,  the  rapids  were 
frightfully  near  and  something  must  be  done.  He  gave  a 
tremendous  shout.  But  Bruin  was  not  in  a  musical  mood, 
and  vetoed  that  with  as  much  emphasis  as  he  had  done 
the  paddling.  Then  he  turned  his  eyes  on  Fisher  quite 
interestedly,  as  if  he  were  calculating  the  best  method  of 
7 


98  NIAGARA. 

dissecting  him.  The  situation  was  fast  becoming  some- 
thing more  than  painful.  Man  and  bear  in  opposite  ends 
of  the  canoe  floating  —  not  exactly  double  —  but  together 
to  inevitable  destruction.  But  every  suspense  has  an  end. 
The  single  shout,  or  something  else,  had  called  the  atten- 
tion of  the  neighbors  to  the  canoe.  They  came  to  the 
rescue,  and  an  old  settler,  with  a  musket  which  he  had 
used  in  the  War  of  1812,  fired  a  charge  of  buck-shot  into 
Bruin  which  induced  him  to  take  to  the  water,  after 
which  he  was  soon  taken,  captive  and  dead,  to  the 
shore.      He  weighed  over  three  hundred  pounds. 

A  son  of  the  settler  who  shot  the  bear  had  a  frightful 
experience  in  the  river  many  years  afterward.  He  was 
engaged  in  Canada  in  the  business  of  buying  saw-logs 
for  the  American  market.  Coming  from  the  woods  down 
to  Chippewa  one  cold  day  in  December,  at  a  time  when 
considerable  quantities  of  strong,  thin  cakes  of  ice  were 
floating  in  the  river,  he  took  a  flat-bottom  skiff"  to  row 
across  to  his  home.  This  he  did  without  apprehension, 
as  he  had  been  born  and  brought  up  on  the  banks  of 
the  Niagara,  understood  it  well,  and  was  also  a  strong, 
resolute  man. 

As  he  drew  near  the  foot  of  Navy  Island,  intending 
to  take  the  chute  between  it  and  Buckhorn  Island, 
two  large  cakes  between  which  he  was  sailing  suddenly 
closed  together  and  cut  the  bottom  of  his  skiff  square 
off".  Just  above  the  cake  on  which  his  bottomless  skifi" 
was  then  floating  there  was  a  second  large  cake, 
at  a  little  distance  from  it,  and  beyond  this  a  strip 
of  water  which   washed  the    shore   of  Navy    Island.      In 


LOCAL     HISTORY    AND     INCIDENTS.  99 

less  time  than  it  has  taken  to  write  this,  he  sprang 
upon  the  first  piece  of  ice,  ran  across  it  with  desperate 
speed,  cleared  the  first  space  of  water  at  a  single  leap, 
ran  across  the  next  cake  of  ice,  jumped  with  all  his 
might,  and  landed  in  the  icy  water  within  a  rod  of  the 
shore,  to  which  he  swam.  He  was  soon  after  warming 
and  drying  himself  before  the  rousing  fire  of  the  only 
occupant  of  the  island. 

His  father  had  a  fine  farm  on  the  bank  of  the  river, 
which  he  cultivated  with  much  care.  But  before  the 
drainage  of  the  country  was  completed  the  land  was 
decidedly  wet.  A  friend  from  the  East  who  made  him  a 
call  foimd  him  plowing.  The  water  stood  in  the  bottom 
of  the  furrows.  But  agriculture  has  been  progressive  since 
those  days.  It  is  now  almost  a  fine  art  instead  of  a  mere 
pursuit.  And  nowhere  north  of  the  equator  is  there  a 
climate  and  soil  so  genial  and  favorable  for  the  growth 
of  certain  kinds  of  fruit,  especially  the  apple  and  the 
peach,  as  are  those  of  Niagara  County.  Many  persons 
claim  that  they  can  tell  from  the  peculiar  consistency  of 
the  pulp,  and  by  its  flavor  and  bouquet,  on  which  side  of 
the  Genesee  River  an  apple  is  grown. 

It  is  said  that  the  winter  apples  of  Niagara  are  as  well 
known  and  as  greatly  prized  above  all  others  of  their  kind 
on  the  docks  of  Liverpool,  as  is  Sea  Island  cotton  above 
all  other  grades  of  that  plant.  The  delicious  little 
russet  known  as  the  Ponwie  Gris,  with  its  fine  aromatic 
flavor  when  ripe,  grows  nowhere  else  to  such  perfection 
as  along  the  Niagara  River.  In  1825,  at  the  grand 
celebration  held  to  commemorate  the  completion  of  the 


lOO  NIAGARA. 

Erie  Canal,  the  late  Judge  Porter  made  the  first  ship- 
ment east  of  apples  raised  in  Niagara  County.  It  con- 
sisted of  two  barrels,  one  of  which  was  sent  to  the 
corporation  of  the  city  of  Troy,  and  the  other  to  that 
of  New  York.  They  were  duly  received  and  honored. 
From  this  small  beginning  the  fruit  trade  has  grown 
to  the  yearly  value  of  more  than  a  million  of  dollars  for 
Niagara  County  alone. 

With  reference  to  the  forest  which  once  covered  this 
country,  an  erroneous  impression  prevails  as  to  its 
age.  Poets  and  romancers  have  been  in  the  habit  of 
speaking  of  these  "primeval  forests"  as  though  they 
might  have  been  bushes  when  Nahor  and  Abraham  were 
infants.  But  this  is  a  great  error.  Since  the  discovery 
of  the  country  only  one  tree  has  been  found  that  was 
eight  hundred  years  old.  This  is  mentioned  by  Sir 
Charles  Lyell  as  having  grown  out  of  one  of  the  ancient 
mounds  near  Marietta,  Ohio.  But  the  great  majority  of 
them  were  not  over  three  hundred  years  old.  The  testi- 
mony of  the  trees  concerning  the  past  is  not  quite  so 
abundant  as  that  of  the  rocks,  but  that  of  one  tree  grown 
in  central  New  York  is  of  a  remarkable  character.  It  was  a 
white  oak,  which  grew  in  the  rich  valley  of  the  Clyde  River, 
about  one  mile  west  of  Lyons"  Court  House,  and  was  cut 
down  in  the  )'ear  1837.  The  body  made  a  stick  of  tim- 
ber eighty  feet  long,  which  before  sawing  was  about  five 
feet  in  diameter.  It  was  cut  into  short  logs  and  sawed 
up.  From  the  center  of  the  butt-log  was  sawed  a  piece 
about  eight  by  twelve  inches.  At  the  butt  end  of  this 
piece  the  saw  laid  bare,  without  marring  them,  some  old 


LOCAL     HISTORY    AND     INCIDENTS.  lOI 

scars  made  by  an  ax  or  some  other  sharp  instrument. 
These  scars  were  perfectly  distinct  and  their  character 
equally  unmistakable.  They  were  made,  apparently, 
when  the  young  tree  was  about  six  inches  in  diameter. 
Outside  of  these  scars  there  were  counted  four  hundred 
and  sixty  distinct  rings,  each  ring  marking  with  unerring 
certainty  one  year's  growth  of  the  tree.  It  follows  that 
this  chopping  was  done  in  1374,  or  one  hundred  and 
eighteen  years  before  the  first  voyage  of  Columbus  across 
the  Atlantic. 

It  has  been  questioned  whether  the  rings  shown  in  a 
cross-section  of  a  tree  can  be  relied  upon  to  determine 
truly  the  number  of  years  it  has  been  growing.  A  singular 
confirmation  of  the  correctness  of  this  method  of  counting 
was  furnished  some  years  since. 

In  the  latter  part  of  the  last  century  the  late  Judge 
Porter  surveyed  a  large  tract  of  land  lying  east  of  the 
Genesee  River,  known  as  "The  Gore."  Some  thirty-five 
years  afterward  it  became  necessary  to  resurvey  one  of 
its  lines,  and  recourse  was  had  to  the  original  surveys. 
Most  of  the  forest  through  which  the  first  line  had  been 
run  was  cleared  off,  and  such  trees  as  had  been  "  blazed  " 
as  line-trees  had  overgrown  the  scars.  One  tree  was 
found  which  was  declared  to  be  an  original  line-tree.  On 
cutting  into  it  carefully  the  old  "blaze  "  was  brought  to 
light,  and  on  counting  the  rings  outside  of  it,  they  were 
found  to  correspond  with  the  number  of  years  which  had 
elapsed  since  the  first  survey. 

One  of  the  three  small  buildings  at  Niagara  which 
escaped  the  flames  of  18 14  was  a  log-cabin,  about  thirty 
7a 


I02  NIAGARA. 

by  forty  feet  in  its  dimensions,  that  stood  in  the  center  of 
the  front  of  the  International  block.  In  the  latter  part  of 
1815  the  inhabitants  returned,  and  the  late  General  P. 
Whitney  put  a  board  addition  to  the  log-house,  and 
opened  the  first  hotel.  From  that  has  grown  up  the 
present  International.  The  immediate  predecessor  of  the 
International  was  the  Eagle  Tavern,  which  was,  for  some 
years,  in  charge  of  a  genial  and  popular  landlord,  the 
late  Mr.  Hollis  White.  It  was  formed  by  the  addition 
to  the  old  frame  structure  of  a  three-story  brick  building, 
of  moderate  dimensions.  Across  the  front  of  this  addition 
was  a  long,  wide,  old-fashioned  stoop.  This  was  well  sup- 
plied with  comfortable  arm-chairs,  which  furnished  easy 
rests  for  guests  or  neighbors,  and  were  well  patronized  by 
both,  and  especially  during  the  summer  season  by  the 
genial  humorists  of  the  place.  On  the  opposite  side  of 
the  street  was  a  small  house,  a  story  and  a  half  high, 
belonging  to  Judge  Porter,  and  to  which  he  built  an 
addition.  Then,  as  now,  there  were  occasionally  more 
visitors  than  the  hotel  could  accommodate,  and  the 
neighbors  assisted  in  entertaining  them.  Judge  Porter 
did  this  frequently,  and  among  his  guests  were  President 
Monroe,  Marshal  Grouchy,  General  La  Fayette,  General 
Brown,  General  Scott,  Judge  Spencer,  and  other  distin- 
guished strangers. 

The  first  building  erected  on  the  ground  where  the 
Cataract  House  now  stands  was  of  a  later  date —  1824  — 
a  frame  house  about  fifty  feet  square.  It  was  purchased 
by  General  Whitney  in  1826,  and  formed  the  nucleus  of  the 
great  pile  which  constitutes  the  present  Cataract  House. 


LOCAL    HISTORY    AND     INCIDENTS.  IO3 

In  1829,  the  carriage  road  down  the  bank  to  the  ferry 
on  the  Canadian  side  was  made.  For  several  years  pre- 
vious the  principal  hotel  at  the  Falls  was  also  on  that 
side.  It  was  called  the  Pavilion,  and  stood  on  the  high 
bank  just  above  the  Horseshoe  Fall.  It  commanded  a 
grand  view  of  the  river  above,  and  almost  a  bird's-eye 
view  of  the  Falls  and  the  head  of  the  chasm  below.  The 
principal  stage-route  from  Buffalo  was  likewise  on  that 
side,  and  the  register  of  the  Pavilion  contained  the  names 
of  most  of  the  noted  visitors  of  the  period.  But  the  erec- 
tion of  the  Cataract  House  and  the  establishing  of  stage- 
routes  on  the  American  side  drew  away  much  of  its 
patronage,  and  finally,  on  the  completion  of  the  first  half 
of  the  Clifton  House,  in  1833,  it  was  quite  abandoned. 
A  few  years  later  the  Ontario  House  was  built,  about 
half-way  between  the  Clifton  and  the  Horseshoe  Fall, 
toward  which  it  fronted.  There  was  not  sufficient  busi- 
ness to  support  it,  and  after  standing  unoccupied  for 
several  years,  it  took  fire  and  was  burned  to  the  ground. 

The  Clifton  was  greatly  enlarged  and  improved  by 
Mr.  S.  Zimmerman  in  1865.  The  Amusement  Hall  and 
several  cottages  were  built  and  gas-works  erected.  The 
grounds  were  handsomely  graded  and  adorned. 

Near  the  site  of  Table  Rock  is  the  Museum,  its  val- 
uable collection  being  the  result  of  several  years'  labor 
by  its  proprietor,  Mr.  Thomas  Barnett.  It  contains  sev- 
eral thousand  specimens  from  the  animal  and  mineral 
kingdoms,  and  the  galleries  are  arranged  to  represent 
a  forest  scene. 

Just  above  the  Museum  the  visitor  steps  upon  what 


104  NIAGARA. 

remains  of  the  famous  Table  Rock.  It  was  once  a  bare 
rock  pavement,  about  fifteen  rods  long  and  about  five 
rods  wide,  about  fifty  feet  of  its  width  projecting  beyond 
its  base  at  the  bottom  of  the  limestone  stratum  nearly 
one  hundred  feet  below.  Remembering  this  fact,  we  can 
more  readily  credit  the  probable  truth  of  the  statement 
made  by  Father  Hennepin  —  which  we  have  before 
noticed  —  that  the  projection  on  the  American  side  in 
1682,  when  he  returned  from  his  first  tour  to  the  West, 
was  so  great  that  four  coaches  could  drive  abreast  under 
it.  On  top  of  the  debris  below  the  bank  lies  the  path  by 
which  Termination  Rock,  under  the  western  end  of  the 
Horseshoe,  is  reached.  It  is  a  path  which  few  neglect 
to  follow. 

The  Table  itself  has  always  been,  and  must  continue 
to  be,  a  favorite  resort  for  visitors.  The  combined  view 
of  the  Falls  and  the  chasm  below,  as  well  as  the  rapids 
above,  is  finer,  more  extensive,  here  than  from  any  other 
point.  Moreover,  the  nearness  to  the  great  cataract  is 
more  sensibly  felt,  the  communion  with  it  is  deeper  and 
more  intimate  than  it  can  be  anywhere  else.  The  view 
from  this  point  can  be  most  pleasantly  and  satisfactorily 
taken  in  the  afternoon,  when  the  spectator  has  the  sun 
behind  him,  and  can  look  at  his  leisure  and  with  unvexed 
eyes  at  the  brilliant  scene  before  him.  However  long  he 
may  tarry  he  will  find  new  pleasure  in  each  return  to  it. 

Two  miles  above,  following  round  the  bend  of  the 
Oxbow  toward  Chippewa,  and  down  near  the  water's 
edge,  is  the  Burning  Spring.  The  water  is  impregnated 
with  sulphureted  hydrogen  gas,  and  is  in  a  constant  state 


LOCAL     HISTORY     AND     INCIDENTS.  IO5 

of  mild  ebullition.  The  gas  is  perpetually  rising  to  the 
surface  of  the  water,  and  when  a  lighted  match  is  applied 
it  burns  with  an  intermittent  flame.  If,  however,  a  tub 
with  an  iron  tube  in  the  center  of  its  bottom  is  placed 
over  the  spring,  a  constant  stream  of  gas  passes  through 
it.  On  being  lighted  it  burns  constantly,  with  a  pale 
blue,  wavering  flame,  which  possesses  but  little  illuminat- 
ing or  heating  power.  The  drive  is  a  pleasant  one, 
affording  a  fine  view  of  the  Oxbow  Rapids  and  islands 
and  the  noble  river  above. 

A  mile  and  a  quarter  west  of  Table  Rock  is  the 
Lundy's  Lane  battle-ground.  On  the  crown  of  the  hill, 
where  the  severest  struggle  occurred,  are  two  rival 
pagodas  challenging  the  tourist's  attention.  From  the 
top  of  each  he  has  a  rare  outlook  over  a  broad  level 
plain,  relieved  on  its  northern  horizon  by  the  top  of 
Brock's  Monument,  and  to  the  south-east  by  the  city  of 
Buffalo  and  Lake  Erie. 

The  obliging  custodian  of  either  tower  will  enlighten 
his  hearers  with  dextrous  volubility,  and,  according  as 
he  is  certain  of  the  nationality  of  his  listeners,  will  the 
Stars  and  Stripes  wave  in  triumph,  or  the  Cross  of  Saint 
George  float  in  glory,  over  the  bloody  and  hard-fought 
field.  If  he  cannot  feel  sure  of  his  listeners'  habitat, 
like  Justice,  he  will  hold  an  even  balance  and  be  blind 
withal. 

It  was  the  writer's  privilege  to  go  over  the  field  on  a 
pleasant  June  day  with  Generals  Scott  and  Porter,  and  to 
learn  from  them  its  stirring  incidents.  General  Scott 
pointed   out   the   location  of  the   famous  battery  on  the 


I06  NIAGARA. 

British  left  which  made  such  havoc  with  his  brave 
brigade,  and  in  taking  which  the  gallant  Miller  converted 
his  modest  "  I'll  try,  sir,"  into  a  triumphant  "It  is  done." 
The  General  also  found  the  tree  under  which,  faint  from 
his  bleeding  wound,  he  sat  down  to  rest,  placing  its  pro- 
tecting boll  between  his  back  and  the  British  bullets,  as 
he  leaned  against  it.  Plucking  a  small  wild  flower  grow- 
ing near  it,  he  presented  it  to  one  of  the  ladies  of  the 
party,  telling  her  that  "  it  grew  in  soil  once  nourished  by 
his  blood." 

General  Porter  showed  us  where,  with  his  volunteers 
and  Indians,  he  broke  through  the  woods  on  the  British 
right,  just  as  Miller  had  captured  the  troublesome  bat- 
tery, thus  aiding  to  win  the  most  obstinate  and  bloody 
fight  of  the  war.  Its  hard-won  trophies,  however,  were 
too  easily  lost,  as,  by  some  misunderstanding  or  neglect  of 
orders,  the  proper  guard  around  the  field  was  not  main- 
tained, and,  in  the  darkness  proverbially  intense  just  before 
day,  the  British  returned  to  the  field  and  quietly  removed 
most  of  the  guns.  So  our  English  friends  claim  it  was  a 
drawn  battle. 

Nearly  half  a  century  later  a  dinner  was  given  at 
Queenston  by  our  Canadian  friends,  to  signalize  the 
completion  of  the  Lewiston  Suspension  Bridge.  On  this 
occasion  a  British-Canadian  officer,  the  late  Major  Wood- 
ruff, of  St.  David's,  who  served  with  his  regiment  during 
the  war,  was  called  upon  by  the  chairman,  the  late  Sir 
Allan  McNabb,  to  follow,  in  response  to  a  toast,  the  late 
Colonel  Porter,  only  son  of  General  Porter.  In  a  mirth- 
ful  reference  to  the  stirrimr  events  of  the   war  he  alluded 


LOCAL    HISTORY    AND     INCIDENTS.  107 

to  the  British  retreat  after  the  battle  of  Chippewa,  and 
condensing  the  opposing  forces  into  two  personal  pro- 
nouns, one  representing  General  Porter  and  the  other  him- 
self, he  turned  to  Colonel  Porter  and  said  :  "  Yes,  sir,  I 
remember  well  the  moving  events  of  that  day,  and  how 
sharp  he  was  after  me.  But,  sir,  he  was  balked  in  his 
purpose,  for  although  he  won  the  victory  I  won  the  race, 
and  so  we  were  even." 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

Incidents  —  Fall  of  Table  Rock  —  Remarkable  phenomenon  in  the  river  — 
Driving  and  lumbering  on  the  Rapids  —  Points  of  the  compass  at  the 
Falls — A  first  view  of  the  Falls  commonly  disappointing — Lunar  bow 
—  Golden  spray — Gull  Island  and  the  gulls — The  highest  water  ever 
known  at  the  Falls  —  The  Hermit  of  the  Falls. 

OF    incidents,   curious,    comic,    and    tragic,    connected 
with  the  locality  the  catalogue  is  long,  but  we  must 
make  our  recital  of  them  brief. 

We  have  before  referred  to  Professor  Kalm's  notice  of 
the  fall  of  a  portion  of  Table  Rock  previous  to  1750. 
Authentic  accounts  of  like  events  are  the  following  :  In 
18 18  a  mass  one  hundred  and  sixty  feet  long  by  thirty 
wide;  in  1828  and  '29  two  smaller  masses;  also  in  1828 
there  went  down  in  the  center  of  the  Horseshoe  a  huge 
mass,  of  which  the  top  area  was  estimated  at  half  an  acre. 
If  this  estimate  was  correct,  it  would  show  an  abrasion 
equivalent  to  nearly  one  foot  from  the  whole  surface  of 
the  Canadian  Fall.  In  April,  1843,  a  mass  of  rock  and 
earth  about  thirty- five  feet  long  and  six  feet  wide  fell 
from  the  middle  of  Goat  Island.  In  1847,  just  north  of 
the  Biddle  Stairs,  there  was  a  slide  of  bowlders,  earth,  and 
gravel,  with  a  small  portion  of  the  bed-rock,  the  whole 
mass  being  about  forty  feet  long  and  ten  feet  wide.     About 


Opposite  page  109.    Fall  of  Table  Rock. 


LOCAL     HISTORY    AND     INCIDENTS.  IO9 

every  third  return  of  spring  has  increased  the  abrasion 
at  these  two  points.  At  the  first-named  point  more  than 
twenty  feet  in  width  has  disappeared,  with  the  whole  of 
the  road  crossing  the  island.  From  the  latter  point, 
near  the  Biddle  Stairs,  which  was  a  favorite  one  for  viewing 
the  Horseshoe  Fall,  the  seats  provided  for  visitors  and 
the  trees  which  shaded  them  have  fallen. 

On  the  25th  of  June,  1850,  occurred  the  great  down- 
fall which  reduced  Table  Rock  to  a  narrow  bench  along 
the  bank.  The  portion  which  fell  was  one  immense  solid 
rock  two  hundred  feet  long,  sixty  feet  wide,  and  one  hun- 
dred feet  deep  where  it  separated  from  the  bank.  The 
noise  of  the  crash  was  heard  like  muffled  thunder  for 
miles  around.  Fortunately  it  fell  at  noonday,  when  but 
few  people  were  out,  and  no  lives  were  lost.  The  driver 
of  an  omnibus,  who  had  taken  off  his  horses  for  their 
midday  feed,  and  was  washing  his  vehicle,  felt  the  pre- 
liminary cracking  and  escaped,  the  vehicle  itself  being 
plunged  into  the  gulf  below. 

In  1850,  a  canal-boat  that  became  detached  from  a 
raft,  went  down  the  Canadian  Rapids,  turned  broadside 
across  the  river  before  reaching  the  Falls,  struck  amid- 
ships against  a  rock  projecting  up  from  the  bottom  and 
lodged.  It  remained  there  more  than  a  year,  and  when 
it  went  down  took  with  it  a  piece  of  the  rock  apparcnth' 
about  ten  feet  wide  and  forty  feet  long.  At  the  foot  of 
Goat  Island  some  smaller  masses  have  fallen,  and  three 
extensive  earth-slides  have  occurred. 

In  the  spring  of  1852  a  triangular  mass,  the  vertex  of 
which  was  just  beyond  or  south  of  the  Terrapin  Tower, 


IIO  NIAGARA. 

while  its  altitude  of  more  than  forty  feet  lay  along  the 
shore  of  the  south  corner  of  Goat  Island,  fell  in  the  night 
with  the  usual  grinding  crash.  And  with  it  fell  some 
isolated  rocks  which  lay  on  the  brink  of  the  precipice  in 
front  of  the  tower,  and  from  which  the  tower  derived  its 
name.  Before  the  tower  was  built,  some  person  looking  at 
the  rocks  from  the  shore  suggested  that  they  looked  like 
huge  terrapins  sunning  themselves  on  the  edge  of  the 
Fall.  A  few  days  after  the  fall  of  the  triangular  mass, 
a  huge  column  of  rock  a  hundred  feet  high,  about  four- 
teen feet  by  twelve,  and  flat  on  the  top,  became  separated 
from  the  bank  and  settled  down  perpendicularly  until  its 
top  was  about  ten  feet  below  the  surface  rock.  It  stood 
thus  about  four  years,  when  it  began  gradually  to  settle, 
as  the  shale  and  stone  were  disintegrated  beneath  it,  and 
finally  it  tumbled  over  upon  the  rocks  below,  furnishing  an 
illustration  of  the  manner  in  which  we  suppose  the  rocks 
which  once  accumulated  below  the  Whirlpool  must  have 
been  broken  down.  In  the  spring  of  1871  a  portion  of  the 
west  side  of  the  sharp  angle  of  the  Horseshoe,  apparently 
about  ten  by  thirty  feet,  went  down,  producing  a  decided 
change  in  the  curve. 

On  the  7th  day  of  February,  1877,  about  eleven 
o'clock  of  a  cold,  cloudy  day,  there  occurred  the  most 
extensive  abrasion  of  the  Horseshoe  Fall  ever  noted. 
It  extended  from  near  the  water's  edge  at  Table  Rock, 
more  than  half  the  distance  round  the  curve,  some 
fifteen  hundred  feet,  and  at  the  most  salient  angle  the 
mass  that  fell  was  from  fifty  to  one  hundred  feet  wide. 
By    this    downfall     the    contour    of    the    Horseshoe    was 


LOCAL     HISTORY     AND     LNCIDENTS.  I  I  I 

decidedly  changed,  the  reentering  angle  being  made 
acute  and  very  ragged.  Less  than  three  months  after- 
ward the  abrasion  was  continued  some  two  hundred  feet 
toward  Goat  Island. 

The  trembling  earth  and  muffled  thunder  gave  evi- 
dence of  the  immensity  of  the  mass  of  fallen  rock,  but  no 
one  saw  it  go  down.  For  several  months  after  the  fall, 
until  the  mass  of  rock  got  thoroughly  settled  in  the  bed 
of  the  Falls,  the  exhibition  of  water- rockets,  sent  up  a 
hundred  feet  above  the  top  of  the  precipice,  was  unique 
and  beautiful.  The  greatest  angle  of  retrocession,  which 
had  previously  been  wearing  toward  Goat  Island,  is  again 
turning  toward  the  center  of  the  stream. 

On  the  29th  of  March,  1848,  the  river  presented  a 
remarkable  phenomenon.  There  is  no  record  of  a 
similar  one,  nor  has  it  been  observed  since.  The  winter 
had  been  intensely  cold,  and  the  ice  formed  on  Lake 
Erie  was  very  thick.  This  was  loosened  around  the 
shores  by  the  warm  days  of  the  early  spring.  During 
the  day,  a  stiff  easterly  wind  moved  the  whole  field  up 
the  lake.  About  sundown,  the  wind  chopped  suddenly 
round  and  blew  a  gale  from  the  west.  This  brought 
the  vast  tract  of  ice  down  again  with  such  tremendous 
force  that  it  filled  in  the  neck  of  the  lake  and  the  outlet, 
so  that  the  outflow  of  the  water  was  very  greatly 
impeded.  Of  course,  it  only  needed  a  short  space 
of  time  for  the  Falls  to  drain  off  the  water  below 
Black  Rock. 

The  consequence  was  that,  when  we  arose  in  the 
morning  at  Niagara,  we  found  our  river  was  nearly  half 


112  NIAGARA. 

gone.  The  American  channel  had  dwindled  to  a  respect- 
able creek.  The  British  channel  looked  as  though  it 
had  been  smitten  with  a  quick  consumption,  and  was  fast 
passing  away.  Far  up  from  the  head  of  Goat  Island  and 
out  into  the  Canadian  rapids  the  water  was  gone,  as  it 
was  also  from  the  lower  end  of  Goat  Island,  out  beyond 
the  tower.  The  rocks  were  bare,  black,  and  forbidding. 
The  roar  of  Niagara  had  subsided  almost  to  a  moan. 
The  scene  was  desolate,  and  but  for  its  novelty  and  the 
certainty  that  it  would  change  before  many  hours,  would 
have  been  gloomy  and  saddening.  Every  person  who 
has  visited  Niagara  will  remember  a  beautiful  jet  of  water 
which  shoots  up  into  the  air  about  forty  rods  south  of  the 
outer  Sister  in  the  great  rapids,  called,  with  a  singular 
contradiction  of  terms,  the  "  Leaping  Rock."  The  writer 
drove  a  horse  and  buggy  from  near  the  head  of  Goat 
Island  out  to  a  point  above  and  near  to  that  jet.  With  a 
log-cart  and  four  horses,  he  drew  from  the  outside 
of  the  outer  island  a  stick  of  pine  timber  hewed  twelve 
inches  square  and  forty  feet  long.  From  the  top  of  the 
middle  island  was  drawn  a  still  larger  stick,  hewed  on 
one  side  and  sixty  feet  long. 

There  are  few  places  on  the  globe  where  a  person 
would  be  less  likely  to  go  lumbering  than  in  the  rapids 
of  Niagara,  just  above  the  brink  of  the  Horseshoe  Fall. 
All  the  people  of  the  neighborhood  were  abroad,  explor- 
ing recesses  and  cavities  that  had  never  before  been 
exposed  to  mortal  eyes.  The  writer  went  some  distance 
up  the  shore  of  the  river.  Large  fields  of  the  muddy 
bottom  were    laid    bare.      The   shell-fish,    the  uni- valves, 


LOCAL     HISTORY    AND     INCIDENTS.  II3 

and  the  bi-valves  were  in  despair.  Their  housekeeping 
and  domestic  arrangements  were  most  unceremoniously 
exposed.  The  clams,  with  their  backs  up  and  their  open 
mouths  down  in  the  mud,  were  making  their  sinuous 
courses  toward  the  shrunken  stream.  The  small-fry  of 
fishes  were  wriggling  in  wonder  to  find  themselves 
impounded  in  small  pools. 

This  singular  syncope  of  the  waters  lasted  all  the  day, 
and  night  closed  over  the  strange  scene.  But  in  the 
morning  our  river  was  restored  in  all  its  strength  and 
beauty  and  majesty,  and  we  were  glad  to  welcome  its 
swelling  tide  once  more. 

It  is  a  curious  fact  that  nine  out  of  every  ten  persons 
who  visit  the  Falls  for  the  first  time,  are  on  their  arrival 
completely  bewildered  as  to  the  points  of  the  compass  ; 
and  this  without  reference  to  the  direction  from  which 
they  may  approach  them.  All  understand  the  general 
geographical  fact  that  Canada  lies  north  of  the  United 
States.  Hence  they  naturally  suppose,  when  they  arrive 
at  the  frontier,  that  they  must  see  Canada  to  the  north  of 
them.  But  when  they  reach  Niagara  Falls  they  look 
across  the  river  into  Canada,  in  one  direction  directly 
south,  and  in  another  directly  west.  Only  a  reference  to 
the  map  will  rectify  the  erroneous  impression.  It  is  cor- 
rected at  once  by  remembering  that  the  Niagara  River 
empties  into  the  south  side  of  Lake  Ontario. 

One  other  fact  may  be  regarded  as  well-established, 
namely,  that  most  visitors  are  disappointed  when  they 
first  look  upon  the  Falls.  They  are  not  immediately  and 
forcibly  impressed  by  the  scene,  as  they  had  expected  to 


114  NIAGARA. 

be.  The  reasons  for  this  are  easily  explained.  The  chief 
one  is  that  the  visitor  first  sees  the  Falls  from  a  point 
above  them.  Before  seeing  them,  he  reads  of  their  great 
height ;  he  expects  to  look  up  at  them  and  behold  the 
great  mass  of  water  falling,  as  it  were,  from  the  sky.  He 
reads  of  the  trembling  earth  ;  of  the  cloud  of  spray,  that 
may  be  seen  a  hundred  miles  away;  of  the  thunder  of 
the  torrent,  and  of  the  rainbows.  He  does  not  consider 
that  these  are  occasional  facts.  He  may  not  know  he  is 
near  the  Falls  until  he  gets  just  over  them.  At  certain 
times  he  feels  no  trembling  of  the  earth  ;  he  hears  no 
stunning  roar ;  he  may  see  the  spray  scattered  in  all 
directions  by  the  wind,  and  of  course  he  will  see  no  bow. 
Naturally,  he  is  disappointed.  But  it  is  not  long  before 
the  grand  reality  begins  to  break  upon  him,  and  every 
succeeding  day  and  hour  of  observation  impresses  him 
more  and  more  deeply  with  the  vastncss,  the  power,  the 
sublimity  of  the  scene,  and  the  wonderful  and  varied 
beauty  of  its  surroundings.  Those  who  spend  one  or 
more  seasons  at  Niagara  know  how  very  little  can  be 
seen  or  comprehended  by  those  who  "  stop  over  one 
train." 

They  are  fortunate  who  can  see  the  Falls  first  from  the 
ferry-boat  on  the  river  below,  and  about  one-third  of  the 
way  across  from  the  American  shore.  The  writer  has  fre- 
quently tried  the  experiment  with  friends  who  were  will- 
ing to  trust  themselves,  with  closed  eyes,  to  his  guidance, 
and  wait  until  he  had  given  them  the  signal  to  look 
upward. 

Those  who  may  be  at  Niagara  a  few  nights  before  and 


Rock  of  Ages  and  Whirlwind   Bridge. 

Opposite  page  114. 


LOCAL     HISTORY     AND     INCIDENTS.  I15 

after  a  full  moon  should  not  fail  to  go  to  Goat  Island  to 
see  the  lunar  bow.  It  is  the  most  unreal  of  all  real 
things  —  a  thing  of  weird  and  shadowy  beauty. 

Another  striking  scene  peculiar  to  the  locality  is  wit- 
nessed in  the  autumn,  when  the  sun  in  making  its  annual 
southing  reaches  a  point  which,  at  the  sunset  hour,  is 
directly  west  from  the  Falls.  Then  those  who  are  east 
of  them  see  the  spray  illuminated  by  the  slant  rays  of  the 
sinking  sun.  In  the  calm  of  the  hour  and  the  peculiar 
atmosphere  of  the  season,  the  majestic  cloud  looks  like 
the  spray  of  molten  gold. 

In  1 840  there  was  a  small  patch  of  stones,  gravel,  sand, 
and  earth,  called  Gull  Island,  lying  near  the  center  of  the 
Canadian  rapid  and  about  one  hundred  rods  above  the 
Horseshoe  Fall.  It  was  apparently  twenty  rods  long 
by  two  rods  wide,  and  was  covered  with  a  growth  of 
willow  bushes.  It  was  so  named  because  it  was  a 
favorite  resort  of  that  singular  combination  of  the  most 
delicate  bones  and  lightest  feathers  called  a  gull. 

The  birds  seem  large  and  awkward  on  the  wing,  but 
as  they  sit  upon  the  water  nothing  can  appear  more 
graceful.  They  are  far-sighted  and  keen-scented.  Their 
eyes  are  marvels  of  beauty.  They  are  eccentric  in  their 
habits,  the  very  Arabs  of  their  race  —  here  to-day  and 
gone  to-morrow.  They  are  gregarious  and  often  assem- 
ble in  large  numbers.  At  times  in  a  series  of  wild,  rapid, 
devious  gyrations,  and  uttering  a  low,  mournful  murmur, 
they  seem  to  be  engaged,  as  it  were,  in  some  solemn 
festival  commemorative  of  their  departed  kindred.  One 
moment   the   air   will    be  filled   with   them   and   their  sad 


Il6  NIAGARA. 

refrain  ;  the  next  moment  the  cry  will  hav^e  ceased  and 
not  a  gull  will  be  seen.  They  come  as  they  go,  summer 
and  winter  alike.  In  thirty  years  the  writer  has  never 
been  able  to  discover  when  nor  whence  they  came.  In 
winter  they  generally  appear  in  the  milder  days,  and 
their  disappearance  is  followed  by  cooler  weather. 

In  the  spring  of  1847  '^  long  and  fierce  gale  from 
the  west,  which  drove  the  water  down  Lake  Erie,  caused 
the  highest  rise  ever  known  in  the  river.  It  rose  six  feet 
on  the  rapids,  and  for  the  first  time  reached  the  floor- 
planking  of  the  old  bridge.  The  greater  part  of  Gull 
Island  was  washed  down  in  this  flood,  and  ten  years 
later  it  had  wholly  disappeared. 

The  vague  tradition  —  the  origin  of  which  cannot 
be  traced  —  that  there  is  a  flux  and  reflux  of  the 
waters  in  the  Great  Lakes,  which  embraces  a  period  of 
about  seven  years,  is  not  confirmed  by  our  observa- 
tion, if  it  be  intended  to  affirm  that  the  ebb  and  flow 
are  both  completed  in  seven  years.  Our  observation 
shows  that  there  is  a  flow  of  about  seven  years,  and  a 
reflux,  which  is  accomplished  in  the  same  period.  The 
water  in  the  Niagara  was  very  low  in  1843—4,  again  in 
1857-8,  and  again  in  187 1-2.  This  last  is  the  lowest 
long  continued  shrinkage  ever  known.  It  is,  however, 
altogether  probable  that  the  general  level  of  the  lakes  will 
fall  hereafter,  owing  to  the  destruction  of  the  forests  and 
the  cultivation  of  the  land  along  their  shores.  In  this 
case  the  waters  of  the  Niagara  and  Detroit  rivers  may,  in 
the  far  future,  meet  in  the  bed  of  Lake  Erie,  and  their 
margins  be  covered  with  orchards  and  vineyards  more 
extensive  and  productive  than  those  along  the  Rhine. 


LOCAL     HISTORY     AND     INCIDENTS.  I  I  / 

The  Hermit  of  the  Falls,  so  called,  Mr.  Francis  Ab- 
bott, came  to  the  village  in  June,  1829.  He  was  a  rather 
good-looking,  respectable  young  man,  of  moderate  attain- 
ments, who  was  subject,  apparently,  to  a  mild  form  of 
intermittent  derangement.  Though  his  manner  was 
eccentric,  his  conduct  was  harmless,  and  it  is  probable 
that  his  parents,  who,  it  was  afterward  ascertained,  were 
respectable  members  of  the  Society  of  Friends  in  Eng- 
land, encouraged  his  desire  to  travel,  and  furnished  him 
the  means  to  do  so.  He  seems  to  have  had  some  taste 
for  music,  and  to  have  been  a  tolerable  performer  on  the 
flute.  He  wandered  much  about  the  island,  both  night 
and  day,  and  often  bathed  below  the  little  fall  on  the 
south  side  of  Goat  Island,  near  its  head.  He  lived  alone 
in  an  unoccupied  log-hut,  directly  across  the  island  from 
this  fall,  until  about  the  first  of  April,  1831,  when  he 
removed  to  a  little  cabin  of  his  own  building,  on  Point 
View.  In  June  of  that  year,  just  two  years  after  his 
arrival,  he  was  drowned  while  bathing  below  the  ferry. 
Ten  days  after,  his  body  was  found  at  Fort  Niagara, 
brought  back,  and  buried  in  the  God's-acre  at  the  Falls. 


8a 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

Avery's  descent  of  the  Falls  —  The  fatal  practical  joke  —  Death  of  Miss  Rugg 
—  Swans  —  Eagles  —  Crows  —  Ducks  over  the  Falls  —  Why  dogs  have 
survived  the  descent. 

ON  the  morning  of  the  19th  of  July,  1853,  a  man  was 
discovered  in  the  middle  of  the  American  rapid, 
about  thirty  rods  below  the  bridge.  He  was  clinging 
to  a  log,  which  the  previous  spring  had  lodged  against 
a  rock.  He  proved  to  be  a  Mr.  Avery,  who  had  under- 
taken to  cross  the  river  above  the  night  before,  but, 
getting  bewildered  in  the  current,  was  drawn  into  the 
rapids.  His  boat  struck  the  log,  and  was  overturned, 
yet,  by  some  extraordinary  good  fortune,  he  was  able  to 
hold  to  the  timber.  A  large  crowd  soon  gathered  on  the 
shore  and  bridge.  A  sign,  painted  in  large  letters,  "  We 
will  save  you,"  was  fastened  to  a  building,  that  the  read- 
ing of  it  might  cheer  and  encourage  him.  Boats  and 
ropes  were  provided,  with  willing  hands  to  use  them. 
The  first  boat  lowered  into  the  rapids  filled  and  sank 
just  before  reaching  Avery.  The  next,  a  life-boat, 
which  had  been  procured  from  Buffalo,  was  let  down, 
reached  the  log,  was  dashed  off  by  the  reacting  waters, 
upset,  and  sank  beside  him.  Another  light,  clinker-built 
boat  was  launched,  and  reached  him  just  right.  But,  in 
some    unaccountable    manner,   the   rope   got  caught  be- 


LOCAL    HISTORY    AND    INCIDENTS.  II9 

twcen  the  rock  and  the  log.  It  was  impossible  to  loosen 
it.  Poor  Avery  tugged  and  worked  at  it  with  almost 
superhuman  energy  for  hours.  The  citizens  above  pulled 
at  the  rope  until  it  broke. 

By  this  time  a  raft  had  been  constructed,  with  a  strong 
cask  fastened  to  each  corner,  and  ropes  attached  so  that 
Avery  could  tie  himself  to  it.  It  was  lowered,  and 
reached  him  safely.  He  got  on  it  and  seized  the  ropes. 
Every  heart  grew  lighter  as  the  rescuers  moved  across 
the  lower  part  of  Bath  Island,  drawing  in  the  rope,  while 
the  raft  swung  easily  toward  Goat  Island.  But  when  it 
reached  the  head  of  Chapin's  Island,  all  hopes  were 
dashed  again.  The  rope  attached  to  the  raft  got  caught 
in  the  rocks  as  it  was  passing  below  a  ledge  in  a  swift 
chute  of  water.  All  efforts  to  loosen  it  were  in- 
effectual. Another  boat  was  launched  and  let  down- 
stream. It  reached  the  raft  all  right,  and  Avery,  in  his 
eagerness  to  seize  it,  dropped  the  ropes  he  had  been 
holding,  stepped  to  the  edge  of  the  raft,  with  his  hands 
extended  to  catch  the  boat,  when  the  raft,  under  his 
weight,  settled  in  the  water,  and,  just  missing  his  hold, 
he  was  swept  into  the  rapids,  went  down  the  north  side 
of  Chapin's  Island,  and,  almost  in  reach  of  it,  in  water  so 
shallow  that  he  regained  his  feet  for  an  instant,  threw  up 
his  hands  in  despair,  fell  backward,  and  went  over  the 
Fall.      The  tragedy  lasted  eighteen  hours. 

The  names  connected  with  the  next  incident  are  sup- 
pressed, out  of  regard  for  the  feelings  of  surviving  friends. 
It  is  given  as  a  warning  to  future  visitors  to  Niagara  not 
to  attempt  any  mirthful    experiments  around   the    Falls. 


I20  NIAGARA. 

A  party  of  ladies,  gentremen,  and  children  were  on  Luna 
Island,  near  a  small  beech  tree,  since  destroyed,  called 
"the  Parasol."  A  young  girl  of  ten  was  standing  near 
her  mother,  just  on  the  brink  of  the  water,  when  a  young 
man  of  twenty-two  stepped  up  beside  her  and  seized  her 
playfully  by  the  arms,  saying,  "  Now,  Nannie,  I  am  going 
to  throw  you  in,"  and  swung  her  out  over  the  water. 
Taken  by  surprise  and  frightened,  she  struggled,  twisted 
herself  out  of  his  grasp,  and  fell  into  the  rapid  within  twenty 
feet  of  the  brink  of  the  precipice.  Instantly  the  young  man 
plunged  in  after  her,  seized  hold  of  her  dress,  and  swung 
her  around  toward  her  half-distracted  mother,  who  almost 
reached  her  as  she  slipped  by  and  went  over  the  Fall, 
immediately  followed  by  the  young  man.  The  young 
girl  was  found  some  days  afterward,  lying  on  her  back, 
on  a  large  rock,  holding  her  open  parasol  above  her  head, 
as  though  she  had  lain  down  to  rest.  A  few  weeks  after- 
ward the  father  of  the  young  man  was  coming  up  the 
river,  on  the  Maid  of  the  Mist,  from  the  lower  landing. 
A  body  was  discovered  floating  in  the  water,  and,  by  the 
aid  of  a  small  boat,  was  brought  on  board  the  steamer.  It 
was  that  of  his  son. 

On  the  23d  of  August,  1844,  Miss  Martha  K.  Rugg 
was  walking  to  Table  Rock  with  a  friend.  Seeing  a 
bunch  of  cedar-berries  on  a  low  tree,  which  grew  out 
from  the  edge  of  the  bank,  she  left  her  companion,  reached 
out  to  pick  it,  lost  her  footing,  and  fell  one  hundred  and 
fifteen  feet  upon  the  rocks  below.  She  survived  about 
three  hours.  Pilgrims  to  Table  Rock  used  to  inquire 
for  the  spot  where  this  accident  happened.  The  follow- 
ing spring,  an  enterprising  Irishman  brought  out  a  table 


LOCAL    HISTORY    AND    INCIDENTS.  121 

of  suitable  dimensions,  set  it  down  on  the  bank  of  the 
river,  and  covered  it  with  different  articles,  which  he 
offered  for  sale.  In  order  to  enlighten  strangers  about 
the  spot,  he  provided  a  remarkable  sign,  which  he  set  up 
near  one  end  of  the  table.  This  sign  was  a  monumental 
obelisk,  about  five  feet  high,  made  of  pine  boards,  and 
painted  white.  On  the  base  he  painted,  in  black  letters, 
the  following  inscription  : 

"  Ladies  fair,   most  beauteous  of  the  race, 
Be.vare  and  shun  a  dangerous  place. 
Miss  Martha  Rugg  here  lost  a  life, 
Who  might  now  have  been  a  happy  wife." 

An  envious  competitor,  one  of  his  own  countrymen, 
brought  his  own  table  of  wares,  and  placed  it  just 
above  the  original  mourner.  Thereupon,  the  latter,  de- 
termining that  his  rival  should  not  have  the  benefit  of  his 
sign,  removed  it  below  his  own  table,  having  first  removed 
the  table  itself  as  far  down  as  circumstances  would  permit. 
Then  he  added  his  master-stroke  of  policy.  Up  to  that 
time  the  monument  had  been  stationary.  Thencefor- 
ward, every  day  on  quitting  business  he  put  it  on  a 
wheelbarrow  and  took  it  home,  bringing  it  out  again 
on  resuming  operations  in  the  morning. 

Previous  to  the  War  of  1812,  the  Niagara  River 
abounded  in  swans,  wild  geese,  and  ducks.  Since  that 
war  none  of  the  swans  have  been  seen  here,  except  two 
pair  which  came  at  different  times.  One  of  each  pair 
went  over  the  Falls,  and  was  taken  out  alive  but  stunned. 
Their  mates,  faithful  unto  death,  were  shot  while  watch- 
ing and  waiting  for  their  return. 


122  NIAGARA. 

Eagles  have  always  been  seen  in  the  vicinity,  and  a 
few  have  been  captured.  A  single  pair  for  many  years 
had  their  aerie  in  the  top  of  a  huge  dead  sycamore  tree, 
near  the  head  of  Burnt  Ship  Bay.  It  was  interesting  to 
watch  the  flight  of  the  male  bird  when  he  left  his  brood- 
ing mate  to  go  on  a  foraging  expedition.  Leaving  the 
topmost  limb  that  served  as  his  home  observatory,  he 
would  sweep  round  in  a  circle,  forming  the  base  of  a  regu- 
lar spiral  curve,  in  which  he  rose  to  any  desired  height. 
Then,  having  apparently  determined  by  scent  or  sight,  or 
by  both,  the  direction  he  would  take,  he  sailed  grandly  off. 
How  grandly,  too,  on  his  return,  he  floated  to  his  lofty 
perch  with  a  single  fold  of  his  great  wings,  and  sat  for  a 
few  moments,  motionless  as  a  statue,  before  greeting 
his  mate.  When  the  young  eaglets  had  but  recently 
chipped  their  shells,  passing  sportsmen  were  content  to 
view  the  majestic  pair  at  a  respectful  distance.  A  pair  of 
eagles,  each  carrying  ten  talons,  a  hooked  beak,  a  strong 
pair  of  wings,  and  an  unerring  eye,  all  backed  and  pro- 
pelled by  an  indomitable  will  and  courage,  are  not  to  be 
recklessly  trifled  with. 

Early  in  July,  1877,  two  farmers  riding  in  a  buggy 
from  Bergholtz,  in  the  easterly  part  of  the  town  of 
Niagara,  toward  the  town  of  Wilson  on  Lake  Ontario, 
saw  a  large  gray  eagle  sitting  on  a  fence  by  the  roadside, 
and  watching  wath  much  interest  some  object  in  a  field 
beyond.  Leaving  their  buggy,  they  ascertained  that  the 
object  of  its  solicitude  was  an  eaglet  sitting  on  the 
ground,  unable  to  fly,  his  wings  and  feathers  having  been 
drenched  by  a  heavy  shower.  One  of  the  men  who  first 
reached    the   young    bird  found  it  rather   bellicose,    and 


LOCAL     HISTORY     AND     INCIDENTS.  123 

while  attempting  to  secure  it  was  surprised  by  a  vigorous 
thump  on  the  head  from  the  old  bird,  accompanied  with 
a  sensation  of  sharp  claws  in  his  hair  which  nearly  pros- 
trated him.  His  assailant  then  rose  quickly  some  forty 
feet  in  the  air,  and,  turning  again,  descended  upon  the 
man  with  such  force  as  to  compel  him  to  relinquish  his 
game.  His  friend  joined  him,  and  for  nearly  half  an 
hour  the  two  were  engaged  in  a  fierce  fight  with  the 
resolute  bird,  which  they  estimated  would  measure 
eight  feet  across  the  extended  wings.  The  eagle  would 
soar  quickly  upward  as  at  first  until  it  reached  the 
desired  range,  when  it  would  turn  upon  them  with 
great  fierceness,  thumping  with  its  wings  and  striking 
with  its  talons  at  their  very  faces.  Finally,  securing  a 
number  of  good-sized  cobble-stones,  they  advanced  again 
upon  the  eaglet,  and  were  at  once  attacked  by  the  parent. 
But  they  used  their  stone  artillery  with  vigor,  and  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  the  eaglet  to  their  buggy,  leaving  its 
gallant  defender  still  unconquered  and  soaring  in  the  air 
with  a  slightly  injured  wing. 

Before  the  War  of  the  Rebellion,  Niagara  was  a  favor- 
ite resort  of  that  winged  scavenger,  the  crow,  and,  at 
times,  they  were  very  numerous.  But  after  the  first 
year  of  the  war  they  entirely  disappeared.  Snuffing  the 
battle  from  afar,  they  turned  instinctively  to  the  South, 
and  did  not  re-appear  among  us  until  several  years  after 
the  war  had  ended. 

Large  numbers  of  ducks  formerly  went  over  the  Falls, 
but  not  for  the  reason  generally  assigned,  namely,  that 
they  cannot  rise  out  of  the  rapids.  It  is  true  that  tlicy 
cannot    rise    from    the    water    while    heading    up-stream. 


124  NIAGARA. 

When  they  wish  to  do  so,  they  turn  down  the  current, 
and  sail  out  without  difficulty.  No  sound  and  living 
duck  ever  went  over  the  precipice  by  daylight.  Dark 
and  especially  foggy  nights  are  most  fatal  to  them.  In 
the  month  of  September,  1841,  four  hundred  ducks  were 
picked  up  below  the  Falls,  that  had  gone  over  in  the  fog 
of  the  previous  night.  In  two  instances,  dogs  have  been 
sent  over  the  Falls  and  have  survived  the  plunge.  In 
1858  a  bull-terrier  was  thrown  into  the  rapids,  also  near 
the  middle  of  the  bridge.  In  less  than  an  hour  he  came 
up  the  ferry-stairs,  very  wet  and  not  at  all  gay. 

The  reason  why  the  dogs  were  not  killed  may  be 
thus  explained.  From  the  top  of  the  Rapids  Tower,  be- 
fore its  destruction,  the  spectator  could  get  a  perfect  view 
of  the  Canadian  Fall.  On  a  bright  day,  by  looking 
steadily  at  the  bottom  of  the  Horseshoe,  where  water 
falls  into  water,  he  could  see,  as  the  spray  was  occasion- 
ally removed,  a  beautiful  exhibition  of  water-cones,  ap- 
parently ten  or  twelve  feet  high.  These  are  formed  by 
the  rapid  accumulation  and  condensation  of  the  falling 
water.  It  pours  down  so  rapidly  and  in  such  quantities 
that  the  water  below,  so  to  speak,  cannot  run  off  fast 
enough,  and  it  piles  up  as  though  it  were  in  a  state  of 
violent  ebullition.  These  cones  are  constantly  forming 
and  breaking.  If  any  strong  animal  should  fall  upon  one 
of  these  cones,  as  upon  a  soft  cushion,  it  might  slide 
safely  into  the  current  below.  The  dogs  were,  doubtless, 
fortunate  enough  to  fall  in  this  way,  aided  also  by  the 
repulsion  of  the  water  from  the  rocks  in  the  swift  chan- 
nel through  which  they  passed. 


CHAPTER    XV. 


Wedding  tourists  at  the  Falls  —  Bridges  to  the  Moss  Islands — Railway  at 
the  ferry — List  of  persons  who  have  been  carried  over  the  Falls  —  Other 
accidents. 


FOR  many  years  Niagara  has  been  a  favorite  resort 
for  bridal  tourists,  who  in  a  crowd  of  strangers  can 
be  so  excessively  proper  that  every  one  else  can  see  how 
charmingly  improper  they  are. 

The  three  fine,  graceful  bridges  which  unite  Goat 
Island  with  the  three  smaller  islands  —  the  Moss  Islands, 
or  the  Three  Sisters  —  lying  south  of  it  were  built  in 
1858.  They  opened  up  a  new  and  attractive  feature  of 
the  locality,  with  which  all  visitors  are  charmed.  Those 
who  have  been  on  them  will  remember  what  a  broken, 
wild,  tangled  mass  of  rocks,  wood,  and  vines  they 
are.  Nothing  on  Onalaska's  wildest  shore  could  be  more 
thoroughly  primitive. 

A  rude  path  with  steps  cut  in  the  slope  of  the  bank 
was  for  several  years  the  only  way  of  getting  down  to  the 
water's  edge  at  the  ferry.  In  1825  several  flights  of 
stairs  were  erected,  with  good  paths  between,  which  made 
the  task  quite  safe  and  easy.  The  double  railway-track 
at  the  ferry  was  completed  in  1845.  When  the  necessary 
excavations  were  nearly  finished,  and  people  were  told 
the  object  of  it,  the  scheme  met  no  approval  from  those 


126  NIAGARA. 

conservative  persons  who  have  no  faith  in  new  things. 
The  idea  of  a  railway  "to  go  by  water"  was  not  con- 
sidered a  brilHant  one.  Indeed,  the  greater  number 
shrugged  their  shoulders  at  the  thought  of  riding 
down  that  hill.  But  as  soon  as  the  lumber  cars  were 
started  for  the  convenience  of  the  workmen,  and  people 
saw  how  expeditious  and  easy  was  the  trip,  it  was 
difficult  to  keep  them  off  the  cars.  Hundreds  of  thou- 
sands of  passengers  have  ridden  in  them  without  accident 
or  injury.  The  motive  power  is  a  reaction  water- 
wheel  set  in  a  deep  pit,  and  as  all  the  machinery  is 
concealed,  it  has  quite  the  appearance  of  a  self-working 
apparatus.  There  is  alongside  of  the  railroad  a  straight 
stair-way  of  two  hundred  and  ninety  steps,  for  those  who 
prefer  to  use  it. 

The  number  of  victims  whom  carelessness  or  folly 
has  sent  over  the  Falls  is  large,  and,  it  may  be  believed, 
is  quite  independent  of  the  Indian  tradition  that  the 
great  cataract  demands  a  yearly  sacrifice  of  two  human 
victims. 

Over  the  Falls. 

In  1810  the  boat  Independence,  laden  with  salt,  filled  and 
sunk  while  crossing  to  Chippewa.  The  captain 
and  two  of  the  crew  went  over  the  Falls.  One 
of  the  crew  clung  to  a  large  oar,  and  was  saved 
by  a  small  boat  from  Chippewa. 
1821  Two  men  in  a  scow  were  driven  down  the  cur- 
rent by  the  wind,  and  went  over  the  Falls. 


LOCAL    HLSTORY    AND    LMCIUENTS.  12/ 

1825  Two  men  in  a  boat  from  Grand  Island  went 
over. 

—  Three  men  went  over  in  three  different  canoes. 
1 84 1  Two  men,  engaged  in  smuggHng,  were  upset  in 

the  current ;    one  went    over.       One  was   found 
dead  on  Grass  Island. 

—  Two  men  who  were  carrying  sand  in  a  scow 
were  drawn  into  the  current  and  went  over. 

1847  -^  lad  of  fourteen  undertook  to  row  across  on  a 
Sunday  morning,  and  went  over. 

1848  In  August,  a  man  in  a  boat  passed  under  the 
Goat  Island  Bridge,  within  ten  feet  of  the  shore ; 
he  asked  of  persons  on  the  bridge,  **  Can  I  be 
saved?"  Soon  after  the  boat  upset,  and  he 
went  over,  feet  foremost,  struck  on  the  rocks 
below,  and  was  never  seen  afterward. 

—  A  little  boy  and  girl  were  playing  in  a  skiff, 
which  swung  off  the  shore;  the  mother  waded 
into  the  water  and  rescued  the  girl.  The  boy, 
sitting  in  the  bottom  of  the  skiff,  with  a  hand  on 
each  side,  went  over. 

1870  A  lady  from  Chicago,  said  to  be  deranged,  threw 
herself  from  Goat  Island   Bridge,  and  went  over. 

1 87 1  In  June  three  men,  unacquainted  with  the  river, 
hired  a  boat  to  cross,  were  drawn  into  the  rapids 
and  went  over. 

—  In  July  two  men  in  a  boat  went  over. 

1873  Friday,  July  4th,  a  young  man  and  woman,  and 
a  boy  twelve  years  of  age,  brother  of  the  latter, 
hired  a  boat  in   Chippewa,   ostensibly  for  a  sail 


128  NIAGARA. 

on  the  river.  Not  understanding  the  currents, 
they  were  drawn  into  the  rapids  and  carried 
over  the  Horseshoe  Fall.  The  bodies  were  not 
recovered.  It  was  afterward  ascertained  that 
the  young  man  had  taken  $500  from  his  father, 
in  Ohio;  had  come  to  Chippewa  to  meet  the 
young  woman,  who  was  from  Toronto,  to  whom 
he  was  married  on  the  day  preceding  their 
death. 

1874  September  19th,  a  young  man  connected  with 
the  Mohawk  Institute,  at  Brantford,  Canada  — 
whether  as  student  or  instructor  was  not  known 
—  walked  deliberately  into  the  rapids  above 
Table  Rock,  and  was  carried  over  the  preci- 
pice, never  to  be  seen  again. 

1875  September  8th,  Captain  John  Jones  —  at  that 
time  marine  surveyor  for  a  New  York  insurance 
company — jumped  into  the  rapids  below  Goat 
Island  Bridge,  and  went  over  the  cliff,  before  the 
eyes  of  many  excursionists.  Ill-health  was  sup- 
posed to  be  the  cause.     The  body  was  not  found. 

1877  March  5th,  Mr.  G.  Homer  Stone,  aged  twenty- 
four,  a  school-teacher,  living  near  Geneva,  N.  Y., 
leaped  into  the  rapids,  near  the  upper  end  of 
Prospect  Park,  and  was  carried  over  the  Falls. 
The  body  was  not  recovered. 
July  1st,  three  men  went  out  in  a  sail-boat  from 
Connor's  Island,  during  a  high  wind  and  very 
rough  water.  Attempting  a  starboard  tack, 
in  order  to  reach  Gill  Creek  Island,  the  boat  was 


LOCAL    HISTORY    AND     INCIDENTS.  1 29 

upset,  and  two  of  them  —  after  the  three  had  tried 
in  vain  to  right  the  boat,  and  found  it  difficult 
to  keep  their  hold  —  abandoned  it  and  tried  to 
swim  ashore  ;  but,  owing  to  the  rough  sea  and 
their  wet  and  heavy  clothing,  they  were  soon 
exhausted,  and  went  to  the  bottom.  The  third 
man,  divesting  himself  of  everything  except  his 
pantaloons,  determined  to  swim  for  the  nearest 
land  the  down-floating  boat  should  pass.  Fort- 
unately, a  large  boat,  manned  by  three  sturdy 
oarsmen,  coming  up  the  river,  rescued  him,  after 
he  had  become  nearly  exhausted.  Three  days 
after  the  accident  one  of  the  bodies  was  found 
near  Grass  Island,  above  the  Falls,  and  the 
other,  two  days  later,  in  the  Whirlpool  below. 

1877  October  i6th,  the  discovery  in  the  morning  of 
several  articles  of  female  apparel  on  a  flat  rock, 
near  the  site  of  the  old  stone  tower,  and  close  to 
the  brink  of  the  Falls,  led  to  investigation,  which 
developed  the  fact  that  Miss  Schofield,  a  young 
woman  from  Woodstock,  in  Canada,  while  suffer- 
ing from  a  sudden  attack  of  brain  fever,  had 
thrown  herself  into  the  rapids,  and  gone  over 
the  Horseshoe  Fall.  She  was  a  skillful  teleg- 
rapher, and  had  some  local  literary  reputation. 
Her  body  was  never  recovered. 

1878  April  1st,  John  and  Patrick  Reilley,  brothers, 
started  from  Port  Day,  above  the  Falls,  to  row 
across  to  Chippewa.  One  of  them,  being  under  the 
influence  of  liquor,  refused  to  row  steadily  and 

9 


I30  NIAGARA. 

quarreled  with  his  brother,  thus  preventing  him 
from  rowing.  They  were  drawn  over  the  Canadian 
side  of  the  Horseshoe  Fall  about  four  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon.  They  were  both  skillful  row- 
ers, and  well  acquainted  with  the  river,  which 
they  had  crossed  and  recrossed  many  times. 
Their  bodies  were  recovered  several  weeks  later. 

1878  April  6th,  a  young  man,  nineteen  years  of  age, 
from  Woodstock,  Canada,  a  member  of  the 
Queen's  Own,  a  volunteer  regiment,  which  had 
attended  a  recent  military  review  at  Montreal, 
was  on  his  return  home,  and  crossed  from  Chip- 
pewa to  Navy  Island  to  visit  friends  who  kept 
small  boats  on  both  sides  of  the  river.  After 
finishing  his  visit,  he  declined  to  accept  the 
assistance  of  a  young  relative  in  recrossing  the 
river,  and  started  alone.  The  result  was  that, 
not  understanding  the  force  of  the  treacherous 
current,  he  was  carried  into  the  great  rapids  and 
went  over  the  Horseshoe  Fall.  His  body  was 
found,  two  days  afterward,  below  the  ferry. 

1879  June  2 1st,  the  names  of  Monsieur  and  Madame 
Rolland  were  registered  at  one  of  the  hotels, 
where  they  spent  a  night,  but  took  their  meals 
at  a  restaurant  kept  by  a  Frenchman,  because 
Monsieur  R.  could  not,  as  he  said,  speak 
English.  The  following  morning  they  went  to 
the  Moss  Islands.  While  near  the  lower  end  of 
the  outer  island,  so  the  husband  claimed,  madame 
took   a  cup  from   him    to    get  a  drink  of  water 


LOCAL     HISTORY    AND     INCIDENTS.  131 

from    the  rapids,    and,   while    his    attention    was 
diverted  for  a  moment,  he  heard  a  splash  in  the 
water,   and  on  looking  round,  saw  that  his  wife 
had  fallen   into  the  rapids.      She  went  over  the 
Horseshoe  Fall.       He  showed  great  distress  and 
every   demonstration    of   sorrow.      Nevertheless, 
he  left  the  next  day  for  New  York,  after  giving 
his  address  to  the  restaurant-keeper,  who,  a  few 
days  afterward,  sent  word  to  him  that  the  body 
had   been   recovered.      Monsieur    R.   sent  thirty 
dollars    to   pay   expenses    of   burial,   and    sailed 
for    France.     Those   who   have    seen    the    place 
where,   according  to  his  story,    madame  fell  in, 
are  skeptical  on  that  point. 
<i  February   23d,   a  stranger  named   Doyle    threw 
himself  into  the  rapids  from  Prospect  Park,  and 
was  carried  over   the  American  Fall.      A  body 
found    some    days    after    in    the    river    below, 
claimed  by  friends  to  be  his,  was  identified  by  a 
coroner's  jury  as  that  of  a  man  named  Rowell, 
whose  body  had  been  found  some  days  before 
in  the  river,  near  the  ferry,  with  a  bullet  through 
the  head.      It  was  never  ascertained  whether  it 
was  a  suicide  or  an  assassination. 
—  July  1 2th,  the  body  of  a  woman  was  found  float- 
ing below  the  Falls,  having  evidently  come  from 
the  river  above.      Some  female  wearing  apparel 
found    on    the   shore   of  the   rapids,  below  Goat 
Island  Bridge,  it  was  supposed  belonged  to  the 
suicide. 


132  NIAGARA. 

1881  Dr.  H.  and  Mrs.  S.,  of  good  birth,  education, 
and  social  position,  loved  not  wisely  but  too 
well.  Exposure  was  certain  and  near.  They 
met  at  Niagara,  July  14th,  and  went  over  the 
Falls  together. 
—  September  5th,  a  man  from  Toronto  plunged 
into  the  rapids  at  Table  Rock,  and  went  over. 
In  a  letter  to  a  Toronto  paper,  he  stated  that 
domestic  trouble  was  the  impelling  motive. 

Below  the  Falls. 

In  1 841  A  number  of  British  soldiers,  stationed  at  Drum- 
mondville,  attempted  to  swim  across  the  rapids 
at  the  ferry  at  different  times.  None  succeeded, 
and  two  were  drowned. 

1842  A  British  soldier  attempted  to  lower  himself 
down  the  bank,  opposite  Barnett's  Museum,  in 
order  to  escape  to  the  American  shore.  The 
rope  broke,  and  he  was  killed  by  the  fall. 

1844  In  August,  a  gentleman  was  washed  under  the 
great  Fall,  from  a  rock  on  which  he  had  stepped, 
against  the  remonstrances  of  the  guide.  He  was 
drowned. 

1846  In  August,  a  gentleman  fell  forty  feet  from  a 
rock  near  the  Cave  of  the  Winds,  and  was  in- 
stantly killed. 

1875  August  9th,  two  young  women  and  three  young 
men,  residents  of  the  village,  went  through  the 
Cave    of   the    Winds,    as    they   had    often    done 


LOCAL    HISTORY    AND     INCIDENTS.  1 33 

1875  before,  to  enjoy  the  exhilarating  bath.  One  of 
the  young  women,  Miss  P.,  stepped  into  one  of 
the  eddying  pools  lying  a  little  outside  of  the 
usual  track,  and  one  of  the  young  men,  Mr.  P., 
thinking  she  might  find  the  current  stronger  than 
she  anticipated,  followed  her,  and  while  seeking  a 
sure  footing  for  himself  to  guard  against  acci- 
dent, the  young  lady  lost  her  balance  and  fell 
into  the  current.  Mr.  P.  endeavored  to  seize  her 
bathing-dress,  but  not  succeeding,  sprang  at 
once  into  the  current,  and  both  went  over  a 
ledge  some  eight  feet  high,  at  the  foot  of  which 
Miss  P.  rose  to  her  feet  in  an  eddy,  and  sought 
support  by  leaning  against  a  large  rock  lying 
adjacent  to  it.  When  Mr.  P.  rose  to  the  surface 
he  swam  to  her,  and  thinking  they  would  be 
safer  in  an  opening  among  smaller  rocks  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  eddy,  he  put  his  arm  round 
her,  and  both  made  a  desperate  effort  to  reach 
the  desired  shelter.  But  the  current  proved 
too  strong,  and  bore  them  both  out  into  the 
river;  Mr.  P.  swimming  on  his  back,  and  sup- 
porting Miss  P.  with  his  right  arm,  while  her 
right  hand  rested  upon  his  shoulder.  Suddenly 
they  became  separated.  Miss  P.,  apparently 
concluding  that  both  could  not  be  saved,  disen- 
gaged herself  from  him,  and  immediately  sank 
below  the  surface.  Instantly  her  heroic  friend 
plunged  after  her.  A  cloud  of  spray  covered 
the  troubled  waters  for  a  moment,  and  when  it 
9a 


134  NIAGARA. 

passed  nothing  could  be  seen  of  the  unfortunate 
pair.  The  treacherous  under-currents  bore  them 
to  their  doom.  Both  bodies  were  recovered  a 
few  days  afterward  from  the  Whirlpool. 
1877  August  31st,  Dr.  Louis  M.  Stein  registered  at  the 
International  Hotel.  The  following  day,  after 
riding  to  different  points  on  the  American  side 
of  the  Falls,  he  alighted  at  the  upper  Suspen- 
sion Bridge,  and  inviting  a  young  bootblack 
to  accompany  him,  he  started  across  the  bridge, 
talking  rather  incoherently  on  the  way.  When 
near  the  Canadian  end  he  stopped,  took  from  his 
pocket  a  roll  of  bills,  gave  the  boy  a  dollar  note, 
and  returned  the  others  to  his  pocket.  He 
then  started  back,  and  when  near  the  center  of 
the  bridge  dropped  his  hand-bag  and  shawl, 
seized  the  boy,  saying  with  an  oath,  "  You  have 
got  to  come,  too  ! "  and  attempted  to  climb  over 
the  railing.  The  boy  successfully  resisted,  but 
the  man  got  over  and  dropped  from  one  of  the 
wire  stays  into  the  river,  one  hundred  and  ninety 
feet  below.  He  was  probably  killed  instantly, 
and  the  body  floated  down  the  river,  from 
which  it  was  taken  some  ten  days  afterward 
and  delivered  to  a  son,  who  arrived  from  New 
York  city. 
—  December  25  th,  a  man  from  Chatauqua  County, 
N.  Y.,  suffering  from  ill-health  and  misfortune, 
jumped  from  the  new  Suspension  Bridge,  and 
was  never  seen  again. 


LOCAL     HISTORY    AND    INCIDENTS.  1 35 

The  narrowest  escape  at  the  Falls  was  that  of  the  man 
who,  in  January,  1852,  fell  from  the  Tower  Bridge  into 
the  rapids,  and  was  caught  between  two  rocks  just  on  the 
brink  of  the  precipice,  whence  he  was  rescued,  nearly 
exhausted,  by  means  of  a  rope. 

In  1874,  Mr.  William  McCullough,  while  at  work 
painting  the  small  bridge  between  the  first  and  second 
Moss  Islands,  missed  his  footing  and  fell  into  the  middle 
of  the  channel ;  he  was  carried  down  about  fifty  rods,  and, 
going  over  a  ledge  into  more  quiet  water,  got  on  his  feet 
and  waded  to  a  small  rock  projecting  above  the  water, 
upon  which  he  seated  himself  to  collect  his  senses  and 
await  results.  After  several  vain  efforts  to  get  a  rope  to 
him,  Mr.  Thomas  Conroy,  a  guide,  then  connected  with 
the  Cave  of  the  Winds,  who  had  in  the  previous  autumn 
conducted  Professor  Tyndall  up  to  Tyndall's  Rock,  put 
on  a  pair  of  felt  shoes,  and,  holding  to  an  inch  rope, 
picked  his  way  with  an  alpen-stock,  from  a  point  a  short 
distance  up-stream,  through  favoring  eddies  and  pools  to 
McCullough.  After  a  short  rest,  he  put  the  rope  around 
McCullough,  under  his  arms,  and  winding  the  end  around 
his  own  right  arm,  the  two  started  shoreward.  On  reachi- 
ing  the  deep  water  near  the  shore,  both  were  taken  off 
their  feet,  and,  as  the  people  pulled  vigorously  at  the  rope, 
their  heads  went  under  for  a  short  distance,  but  they  were 
safely  landed.  A  contribution  was  taken  up  for  Conroy 's 
benefit,  and  Professor  Tyndall,  on  hearing  of  the  rescue, 
sent  him  a  five-pound  note. 

In  view  of  the  fact  that  nearly  every  year  persons  are 
drawn  into  the  rapids  and  carried  over  the  P^alls,  a  New 


136  NIAGARA. 

York  journalist  suggested  a  most  extraordinary  method 
of  saving  them.  He  proposed  that  a  cable  should  be 
stretched  across  the  rapids,  above  the  Falls,  strong 
enough  to  arrest  boats,  and  to  which  persons  in  danger 
might  cling  until  rescued.  But  this  kind  and  ingenious 
person  forgot  that  old  canal-boats,  rafts  of  logs,  and  large 
trunks  of  trees,  with  roots  attached,  would  be  trouble- 
some things  to  hold  at  anchor.  As  well  hope  to  stay  an 
Alpine  avalanche  with  pipe-stems. 


» 'wK«' 


CHAPTER    XVI. 

The  first  Suspension  Bridge  —  The  Railway  Suspension  Bridge  —  Extraor- 
dinary vibration  given  to  the  Railway  Bridge  by  the  fall  of  a  mass  of  rock 
—  De  Veaux  College  —  The  Lewiston  Suspension  Bridge — The  Suspen- 
sion Bridge  at  the  Falls. 

ON  the  partial  completion  of  the  Hydraulic  Canal,  the 
principal  stockholders,  with  a  number  of  invited 
guests,  celebrated  the  event  on  July  4,  1857,  by  an 
excursion  from  Buffalo  in  the  Cygnet,  the  first  steamer 
that  ever  landed  within  the  limits  of  the  village  of 
Niagara.  The  same  route  is  followed  during  the  season 
of  navigation  by  tugs  towing  canal-boats  and  rafts  out 
and  in.  No  passenger  boat,  however,  has  been  placed 
on  the  route,  although  the  sail  on  the  river  is  a  charm- 
ing one. 

Mr.  Charles  Ellet,  in  1840,  built  the  first  suspension 
brid^fe  over  the  chasm.  He  offered  a  reward  of  five  dollars 
to  any  one  who  would  get  a  string  across  it.  The  next 
windy  day  all  the  boys  in  the  neighborhood  were  kiting, 
and  before  night  a  youth  landed  his  kite  in  Canada  and 
received  the  reward.  The  first  iron  successor  of  the 
string  was  a  small  wire  cable,  seven-eighths  of  an  inch  in 
diameter.  To  this  was  suspended  a  wire  basket  in  which 
two  persons  could  cross  the  chasm.  The  basket  was 
attached  to  an  endless  rope,  worked  by  a  windlass  on 
each  bank.     At  an  entertainment  given  on  the  occasion 


138  NIAGARA. 

of  the  completion  of  the  bridge,  the  good  people  of  the 
embryo  village  at  the  bridge,  elated  with  their  new- 
acquisition,  were  inclined  to  regard  their  neighbors  at  the 
Falls  with  patronizing  sympathy.  One  of  the  latter  said 
to  Mr.  Ellet,  "  This  bridge  is  a  very  clever  affair,  and  you 
only  need  the  Falls  here  to  build  up  a  respectable  village." 
■'Well,"  he  replied,  "give  me  money  enough  and  I  will 
put  them  here."      He  had  great  faith  in  dollar-power. 

This  bridge  was  an  excellent  auxiliary  in  the  construc- 
tion of  the  present  Railway  Suspension  Bridge,  built  by 
Mr.  John  A.  Roebling.  It  was  begun  in  1852,  and  the 
first  locomotive  crossed  it  in  March,  1855.  It  is  one  of 
the  most  brilliant  examples  of  modern  engineering,  and 
stands  unrivaled  for  its  grace,  beauty,  and  strength. 
Seizing  at  once  upon  the  natural  advantages  of  the 
location,  the  engineer  resolved  to  combine  the  tubular 
system  with  that  of  the  suspension  bridge.  The  car- 
riage way  was  placed  level  with  the  banks  of  the  river 
at  the  edges  of  the  chasm.  The  railway  track  was 
placed  eighteen  feet  above,  on  a  level  with  the  top  of  the 
secondary  banks  across  which  the  two  railroads  were  to 
approach  it.  The  plan  was  perfect,  and  perfectly  and 
faithfully  executed  in  all  its  details.  It  is  practically  a 
skeleton  tube.  As  the  traveler  passes  over  it  in  a  car- 
riage or  a  railway  car,  from  the  almost  total  absence  of 
any  vibratory  motion  he  feels  at  once  that  he  is  on  a 
safe  basis,  and  his  sense  of  security  is  complete. 

One  feature  of  the  construction  of  the  bridge  may  be 
noticed  as  having  a  bearing  on  the  question  of  its 
durability.      It  is  well  known  that  when  wrought-iron  is 


LOCAL     HISTORY    AND     INCIDENTS.  1 39 

exposed  to  long  continued  or  oft  repeated  and  rapid 
concussions,  its  fibers  after  a  time  become  granulated, 
whereby  its  strength  is  greatly  impaired  and  finally 
exhausted.  It  is  also  known  that  the  effect  of  rhythmical 
or  regular  vibrations  is  more  destructive  than  the  effect 
of  those  which  are  inharmonious  or  irregular.  Because 
of  this,  a  body  of  men  is  never  allowed  to  march  to  music 
across  a  bridge,  nor  is  a  large  number  of  cattle  ever  driven 
across  at  one  time,  lest  they  should,  by  accident,  fall 
into  a  common  step  and  so  overstrain  or  break  down  the 
bridge.  It  is  the  difference  between  a  single  heavy  blow 
and  an  irregular  succession  of  light  ones.  Hence,  when 
harmonious,  regular  vibrations  can  be  broken  up,  the 
destructive  influence  is  greatly  modified  and  retarded. 

The  bridge  is  supported  by  two  large  cables  on  each 
side,  one  pair  above  the  other,  the  lower  pair  being 
nearer  together  horizontally  than  the  upper  pair,  so  that 
a  cross  section  of  the  skeleton  tube  would  be  shaped 
somewhat  like  the  keystone  of  an  arch.  Each  of  these 
large  cables  is  ten  inches  in  diameter,  and  is  composed  of 
seven  smaller  ones,  called  strands.  These  smaller  strands 
are  made  of  number  nine  wire,  and  each  one  contains  five 
hundred  and  twenty  wires.  Each  of  these  wires  was 
boiled  three  several  times  in  linseed  oil,  giving  it  an 
oleaginous  coating  of  considerable  thickness  and  great 
adhesive  power.  Each  wire  was  carried  across  the  river 
separately,  from  tower  to  tower,  by  a  contrivance  of  the 
engineers,  the  chief  feature  of  which  was  a  light  iron  pul- 
ley about  twenty  inches  in  diameter,  suspended  on  what 
might  be  called  a  wire  cord.     This  apparatus  was  called  a 


I40  NIAGARA. 

traveler,  and  curious  and  interesting  was  its  performance 
as  seen  from  below.  It  looked  like  a  huge  spider  weav- 
ing an  iron  web. 

Six  of  the  seven  strands  forming  each  of  the  cables 
were  laid  around  the  seventh  as  a  center,  and  when 
all  were  properly  placed  they  were  again  saturated  with 
oil  and  paint.  After  this,  by  another  contrivance  of  the 
engineers,  they  were  wound  or  wrapped  with  wire,  like 
winding  a  rope  cable  with  marlin,  and  thus  the  whole 
cable  was  made  into  a  thoroughly  compact,  huge, 
round,  iron  rope.  This  was  covered  with  numerous  coats 
of  paint  to  prevent  the  oxidation  of  the  inner  wires. 
The  oleaginous  coating  of  the  wires,  together  with  the 
small  triangular  spaces  between  them,  would  seem  to 
reduce  the  destructive  power  of  the  vibrations  to  zero. 
But  the  vibrations  are  very  greatly  reduced  and  the  stiff- 
ness of  the  structure  is  greatly  increased  by  the  use  of  a 
series  of  triangular  stays,  the  triangle  being  the  only  geo- 
metrical figure  whose  angles  cannot  be  shifted.  There  are 
sixty-four  of  these  triangles.  Their  hypothenuses  are 
formed  by  over-floor  stays  of  wire  rope  reaching  from  the 
tops  of  the  towers  to  different  points  in  the  lower  floor, 
this  latter,  of  course,  forming  their  common  base  and  the 
towers  their  altitude.  The  stays  are  fastened  to  the  sus- 
penders so  as  to  form  straight  lines.  As  the  towers  and 
the  floor  are  rigid  and  solid  in  the  direction  of  the  lines 
they  represent,  it  follows  that  the  intersections  of  the 
hypothenuses  with  the  common  base  form  so  many  sta- 
tionary points  in  the  latter.  These  stationary  points  pre- 
sent a  powerful  resistance  to  vibrations.  The  side  trusses, 
with  their  system  of  diamond-work  braces  and  the  weight 


LOCAL    HISTORY    AND     INCIDENTS.  I4I 

of  the  railway  track  on  the  upper  bridge,  also  help  to 
stiffen  the  structure.  There  are  likewise  fifty-six  under 
stays  or  guys  of  wire  rope  fastened  to  the  rocks  below, 
designed  to  prevent  upward  and  lateral  vibrations.  A 
heavy  locomotive  with  twenty  loaded  cars  produced  a 
depression  of  the  upward  curvature  of  the  track  of  nearly 
ten  inches.  The  ordinary  loads  make  a  depression  of 
only  five  inches. 

In  Part  II.,  attention  was  directed  to  a  point  on  the 
American  side  of  the  river,  just  below  this  bridge,  where 
the  disintegration  of  the  shale  and  abrasion  of  the  super- 
posed rock  is  strikingly  exhibited.  A  singular  phenom- 
enon was  witnessed  here  in  1863.  A  mass  of  rock  and 
shale,  about  fifty  feet  long,  twenty  feet  wide,  and  sixty 
feet  deep,  fell  with  a  great  crash.  Directly  following  the 
fall  a  remarkable  motion  was  developed  in  the  bridge 
itself  A  strong  wave  of  motion  passed  through  the 
whole  structure  from  the  American  side  to  the  opposite 
shore,  and  returned  again  to  the  same  side. 

Some  twelve  or  fifteen  mechanics,  who  were  at  work 
on  the  upper  or  railway  track,  were  so  alarmed  that  they 
fled  with  all  speed  to  the  shore.  The  motion  imparted  to 
the  bridge  was  incalculably  greater  than,  and  of  a  dif- 
ferent character  from,  any  motion  imparted  by  the  crossing 
of  the  heaviest  trains.  The  rocky  mass  which  fell  was 
forty  rods  below  the  bridge,  and  the  hard  floor  on  which  it 
struck  was  more  than  two  hundred  and  thirty  feet  beneath 
it.  The  mass  itself  fell  about  sixty  feet  average  distance, 
and  might  have  weighed  five  thousand  tons.  The  extraor- 
dinary motion  imparted  to  the  bridge  by  the  concussion 
must   have  been  transmitted   along  the  bed-rock  to  the 


142  NIAGARA. 

anchorages  on  the  American  side,  thence  through  the 
cables  and  the  bridge  across  to  the  anchorages  on  the 
Canadian  side,  whence  it  returned  to  the  American  side. 

Mr.  Donald  McKenzie,  master  carpenter  and  super- 
intendent of  repairs,  who  has  been  connected  with  the 
bridge  constantly  since  its  erection,  and  all  the  men 
under  him  at  the  time,  confirm  this  statement,  and  declare  it 
is  impossible  to  exaggerate  or  describe  the  wave-like  motion 
which  they  experienced  while  escaping  to  the  shore. 

Half  a  mile  further  down  is  De  Veaux  College,  a  noble 
charity  endowed  by  the  late  Mr.  Samuel  De  Veaux.  He 
was  for  many  years  an  active  business  man  at  Niagara, 
and  by  his  integrity,  industry,  and  wise  enterprise  accu- 
mulated a  handsome  fortune.  His  death  occurred  in  1852, 
and  by  his  will  he  left  nearly  the  whole  of  his  estate  to 
certain  trustees  to  establish  an  institution  for  the  care, 
training,  and  education  of  orphan  boys.  In  addition  to 
these,  other  pupils  are  received  who  pay  a  fixed  price  for 
their  tuition,  board,  and  incidentals.  The  institution  has 
gained  a  high  reputation  for  the  thoroughness  of  its 
instruction  and  the  excellence  of  its  discipline.  One  of 
its  sources  of  income  is  the  amount  received  annually  for 
admissions  to  the  Whirlpool.  Every  visitor  to  that 
interesting  locality  will  cheerfully  pay  the  fee  charged 
when  he  understands  this  fact. 

The  suspension  bridge  below  the  mountain  near  Lew- 
iston,  spanning  the  river  where  the  water  emerges  from 
the  fearful  abyss  through  which  it  dashes  for  five 
miles,  was  built  in  1856,  by  Mr.  T.  E.  Serrel.  The  guys 
designed  to  protect  it  from  the  cfifect  of  the  wind  were 
fastened  in  the  rocks  on  either  side  at  the  water's  edge. 


LOCAL    HISTORY    AND    INCIDENTS.  1 43 

The  great  ice  jam  of  1866  tore  from  their  fastenings,  or 
broke  off,  many  of  these  guys.  Before  they  were  replaced 
a  terrific  gale  in  the  following  autumn  broke  up  the  road- 
way, severed  some  of  the  suspenders,  and  left  the  struct- 
ure a  melancholy  wreck  danghng  in  the  air. 

The  New  Suspension  Bridge,  as  it  is  called,  just  below 
the  ferry  at  the  Falls,  was  built  in  1868.  It  is  a  light, 
graceful  structure,  standing  one  hundred  and  ninety  feet 
above  the  water.  Its  length  is  twelve  hundred  feet,  after 
the  Brooklyn  bridge  the  longest  structure  of  the  kind 
in  the  world,  and  it  is  the  narrowest  of  those  designed 
for  carriage  travel.  To  its  narrowness  it  probably 
owed  its  safety  from  destruction  during  a  fierce  gale 
which  occurred  in  the  fall  of  1869.  The  fastenings 
or  dowels  of  several  of  the  guys  on  the  Canadian  side 
were  torn  out,  and  the  bridge  at  its  center  deflected  down- 
stream more  than  its  width,  so  that  the  surface  of  its 
road-way  could  not  be  seen  half  its  length.  Then  its 
undulations  from  end  to  end — like  a  stair-carpet  being 
shaken  between  two  persons  —  were  frightful,  and  for 
a  time  it  was  feared  that  either  cables  or  towers  must 
give  way.  After  the  gale  subsided  the  old  guys  were 
made  fast  again,  new  ones  were  added,  and  two  two-inch 
steel  wire  cables  were  stretched  from  bank  to  bank,  and 
connected  with  the  bridge  by  wire  stays.  Wrought-iron 
beams  were  afterward  placed  on  the  bottom  stringers,  and 
channel  irons  on  the  top  beams  of  the  side  trestles,  all  of 
which  were  strongly  bolted  together.  These  improve- 
ments added  much  to  the  strength  of  the  whole  structure, 
and  greatly  increased  its  ability  to  resist  horizontal 
deflection. 


CHAPTER    XVII. 

Blondin  and  his  "ascensions" — Visit  of  the  Prince  of  Wales  —  Grand 
illumination  of  the  Falls  —  The  steamer  Caroline —  The  water-power  of 
Niagara — Lord  DufTerin  and  the  plan  of  an  International  Park. 

IN  the  year  1858,  a  short,  well-rounded,  fair-complex- 
ioned,  light-haired  Frenchman  made  his  appearance 
at  the  Falls,  and  expressed  a  wish  to  put  a  tight-rope 
across  the  chasm  below  them,  for  the  purpose  of  crossing  on 
the  rope  and  exhibiting  athletic  feats.  He  received  little 
encouragement,  but,  having  a  Napoleonic  faith  in  his  star, 
he  persevered,  and  finally  obtained  the  necessary  author- 
ity to  place  his  rope  just  below  the  Railway  Suspension 
Bridge.  It  was  a  well  and  evenly  twisted  rope,  about 
two  inches  in  diameter  ;  and  after  stretching  it  as  taught  as 
it  could  be  drawn,  it  hung  in  a  moderate  catenary  curve. 
Commencing  at  the  shore  ends  he  secured  stays  of  small 
rope  to  the  large  one,  placing  them  about  eight  feet  apart. 
These  were  made  fast  to  the  shore  in  such  a  manner  that 
all  the  stays  on  one  side  of  the  main  rope  were  parallel 
to  each  other  from  the  center  outward  to  the  ends.  They 
were  made  tight  somewhat  in  the  manner  that  tent-cords 
are  tightened,  and  when  the  structure  was  complete  it 
looked  like  the  opposite  sections  of  a  gigantic  spider- 
web. 


LOCAL    HISTORY     AND     INCIDENTS.  1 45 

At  each  end  was  a  spacious  inclosure,  formed  by  a 
rough  board  fence,  for  the  use  of  spectators.  M.  Blon- 
din  —  for  this  was  the  name  of  the  new  aspirant  for  acro- 
batic honors — also  made  an  arrangement  with  the  super- 
intendent of  the  railway  bridge  for  its  occupation  during 
what,  with  a  shade  of  irony,  he  called  his  "  ascensions." 
Those  who  went  within  the  inclosures  and  upon  the 
bridge  paid  a  certain  sum.  A  contribution  was  asked  of 
all  outsiders.  He  selected  Saturday  as  the  day  for  fort- 
nightly ascensions,  and  advertised  his  intentions  very 
liberally.  The  speculation  was  successful  and  gave 
great  satisfaction  to  the  spectators.  He  exhibited  a 
variety  of  rope-walking  feats,  balancing  on  the  cable, 
hanging  from  it  by  his  hands  and  feet,  standing  on  his 
head,  and  lowering  himself  down  to  the  surface  of  the 
water.  He  also  carried  a  man  across  on  his  back, 
trundled  over  a  loaded  wheelbarrow,  and  did  divers  other 
things,  and  also  walked  over  in  a  sack.  He  sprinkled  in 
a  few  extras  to  heighten  the  efifect,  as  the  knowing  ones 
declared,  such  as  slipping  astride  the  cable,  falling  across 
a  stay-rope,  or  dropping  something  into  the  water.  In 
i860,  he  gave  a  special  ascension  in  honor  of  the  Prince  of 
Wales.  The  Prince  and  his  party  occupied  a  sheltered 
space  on  the  Canadian  side,  and  Blondin  walked  to  it  from 
the  opposite  side,  performing  various  feats  on  the  way  over. 
The  Prince  shook  hands  with  him  as  he  stepped  into  the 
shed,  and  commended  his  courage  and  nerve. 

As  illustrating  the  power  of  the  imagination  over  the 
nerves  it  may  be  noted  that,  if  the  great  spidcr's-web  had 
been  stretched  out  anywhere  on  a  level  surface,  and  not 
10 


146  NIAGARA. 

more  than  three  feet  above  the  ground,  a  dozen  men  in 
any  large  community  could  have  been  found  to  walk  it 
as  unconcernedly,  if  not  as  gracefully,  as  the  famous 
"  ascensionist."  After  three  years  of  successful  labor  at 
Niagara,   he  sought  other  air-spaces. 

The  most  notable  occurrence,  however,  which  empha- 
sized the  visit  of  the  Prince  of  Wales  in  that  year  was  the 
illumination  of  the  Falls  late  in  the  evening  of  a  moonless 
night.  On  the  banks  above  and  all  about  on  the  rocks 
below,  on  the  lower  side  of  the  road  down  the  Canadian 
bank,  and  along  the  water's  edge,  were  placed  numerous 
colored  and  white  calcium,  volcanic,  and  torpedo  lights. 
At  a  signal  they  were  set  aflame  all  at  once.  At  the 
same  time  rockets  and  wheels  and  flying  artillery  were  set 
off  in  great  abundance.  The  shores  were  crowded  with 
spectators,  and  the  scene  was  a  most  remarkable  one. 
The  steady,  lurid  light  below  and  the  intermittent  flashes 
and  explosions  overhead,  the  seething,  hissing  volumes 
of  flame  and  smoke  rolling  up  from  the  deep  abyss,  the 
ghostly  appearance  of  the  descending  stream,  the  ghastly 
swift  current  of  white  foam,  the  weird  appearance  of  the 
cloud  of  spray  with  a  faint  and  fantastic  illumination  at 
its  base,  which  faded  out  in  the  dim  light  of  the  stars  as 
it  ascended,  the  peculiarly  deep  but  muffled  and  solemn 
monotone  of  the  falling  water,  the  livid  hue  imparted  to 
the  faces  of  the  quiet  but  deeply  interested  spectators,  all 
made  the  scene  memorable  and  impressive.  When  the 
Marquis  of  Lome  and  the  Princess  Louise  visited  the 
Falls  in  January,  1879,  they  saw  them  illuminated  by 
electricity,  the  light  having  the  illuminating  power  of 
32,000  candles. 


LOCAL    HISTORY    AND     INCIDENTS.  147 

In  December,  1837,  the  steamer  Caroline  came  down 
from  Buffalo  to  aid,  it  was  said,  the  so-called  Patriots,  then 
engaged  in  an  insurrection  against  the  Canadian  Govern- 
ment. A  motley  collection  of  adventurers  on  Navy  Island 
constituted  the  disturbing,  not  to  say  attacking,  force. 
At  Chippewa  was  stationed  a  body  of  Canadian  militia, 
under  the  command  of  Colonel — afterward  Sir  —  Allan 
McNabb,  who  had  the  good  fortune  to  win  his  spurs  in  a 
single  almost  bloodless  campaign.  By  his  direction  a 
boat  expedition  was  sent  to  attack  the  Caroline,  as  she  lay 
at  the  old  Schlosser  dock.  In  the  melee  one  American 
was  killed.  The  steamer  was  set  on  fire,  and  her  fasten- 
ings must  have  been  burnt  away,  as  also  a  part  of  her  upper 
works,  since  the  writer,  ten  years  later,  while  returning 
from  a  fishing  expedition,  discovered  her  smoke-pipe  lying 
at  the  bottom  of  the  river,  in  a  quiet  basin  not  thirty  rods 
below  the  dock.  A  cat-fish  of  moderate  dimensions  ap- 
peared to  be  keeping  house  in  it,  and,  with  his  head  barely 
projecting  from  one  end,  was  serenely  watching  the  cur- 
rent for  whatever  game  it  might  bring  to  his  iron  parlor. 
After  the  new  bridges  were  built  connecting  the  Three 
Sisters  with  Goat  Island,  the  guides  and  drivers,  in  their 
desire  to  enhance  the  interest  of  the  scene,  astonished 
travelers  by  informing  them  that  it  was  the  boiler  of  the 
Caroline  which  caused  the  extraordinary  elevation  of  the 
water  which  we  have  before  referred  to  as  the  Leaping 
Rock. 

Nine  miles  from  the  Falls  is  the  Tuscarora  Reserva- 
tion of  four  thousand  acres.  On  this  there  are  about 
three    hundred    and    fifty    Indians,    mosth'    half-breeds. 


148  NIAGARA. 

engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits,  which  supply  a  portion 
of  their  necessities.  The  Indian  women  who  are  seen  at 
the  Falls  in  the  summer  season  working  and  vending 
different  articles  of  bead- work  belong  to  this  community. 
The  Tuscaroras  have  not  been  more  fortunate  than  others 
of  their  race  in  bargaining  with  their  white  brothers,  and 
their  lands  are  now  stripped  of  the  fine  oak  timber  and 
valuable  wood  which  stood  upon  it  a  few  years  since,  and 
which  was  sold  in  large  quantities  at  small  prices. 

As  a  compensation  for  this  system  of  robbery  we 
maintained  a  Christian  missionary  among  them  for  a 
few  years,  and  we  boast  that  they  are  all  Protestants. 
The  resident  missionary,  a  very  w^orthy  man,  but  a 
rather  prosy  preacher,  always  addressed  his  dusky 
audience  in  the  English  language,  his  thoughts  being 
conveyed  to  them  by  an  interpreter.  For  many  years 
the  interpreter  was  a  native  Tuscarora,  a  fine  specimen 
of  his  race,  six  feet  tall,  with  a  tawny  complexion, 
dark,  flashing  eyes,  and  a  musical  voice.  It  was 
interesting  to  note  his  manner  while  acting  as  interpreter 
for  different  clergymen.  When  interpreting  the  pious 
but  humdrum  utterances  of  the  passionless  missionary, 
he  stood  at  the  right  side  of  the  preacher,  with  his  left 
elbow  resting  on  one  end  of  the  modest  pulpit,  and 
delivered  himself  with  an  air  that  seemed  to  say,  "  It 
does  not  amount  to  much,  but  I  give  it  to  you  as  it  is." 
But  the  change  was  magical  when,  as  sometimes  hap- 
pened during  the  summer  season,  some  eloquent  preacher 
addressed  the  congregation.  The  natural  courtesy  of 
the  interpreter  led   him,  instead  of  putting  his  elbow  on 


LOCAL    HISTORY     AND     INCIDENTS.  149 

the  pulpit,  to  stand  a  little  to  the  rear  of  the  strange 
preacher,  respectfully  waiting  for  his  words.  As  the 
priest  warmed  into  his  subject  the  interpreter  caught  his 
spirit,  straightened  his  fine  figure  to  its  full  height, 
advanced  to  a  line  with  the  speaker,  and  as  the  theme 
was  developed  and  the  orator  grew  more  and  more 
eloquent,  the  excitement  became  contagious  ;  the  Indian 
entered  fully  into  its  spirit,  his  face  glowed  with  anima- 
tion, his  eyes  shone  with  a  warmer  light,  his  long  arms 
were  stretched  forth,  and  with  gestures  energetic  or  sub- 
dued, but  always  graceful,  and  the  varied  inflections  of 
his  voice  in  harmony  with  the  theme,  he  followed  the 
discourse  to  the  end.  His  audience,  too,  would  become 
thoroughly  aroused,  and  a  little  more  animation  would  be 
infused  into  the  plaintive  tones  of  the  closing  hymn. 

One  of  the  future  attractions  of  Niagara,  to  sportsmen 
at  least,  may  be  the  catching  of  California  trout,  twenty 
thousand  of  the  fry  having  been  put  into  the  rapids  by  the 
writer  in  June,  1881. 

Concerning  the  manufactories,  shops,  rubbish,  and 
litter  along  the  race  near  the  brink  of  the  American 
Falls,  which  appear  so  uncouth  and  inharmonious,  and 
which  are  noticed  by  strangers  as  being  a  desecration  of 
the  scene,  it  is  only  just  to  remark  that  the  utilization  of 
the  water-power  here,  in  the  easiest  and  most  economical 
manner,  was  one  of  the  imperative  necessities  of  the  early 
settlement  of  the  country.  For  many  years  a  large  terri- 
tory, lying  on  both  sides  of  the  river,  was  dependent 
upon  the  manufacturing,  repairing,  and  milling  facilities 
of  this  place.  For  furnishing  these  in  those  days,  water- 
lOA 


150  NIAGARA. 

power  was  the  only  agent  And  the  name  —  Manchester 
—  given  to  the  place  by  its  early  settlers  only  fore- 
shadowed their  hope  that  it  would  one  day  rival  its  great 
English  namesake. 

There  are  fewer  manufactories  on  the  old  race-ways 
now  than  there  were  forty  years  ago,  but  many  new  ones 
have  been  located  on  the  hydraulic  canal  that  has  been 
excavated  at  great  expense,  which  leaves  the  river  a  mile 
above  the  Falls,  and  empties  into  the  chasm  half  a  mile 
below.  The  three  years  of  unusual  drought  in  the  northern 
half  of  the  United  States,  from  1876  forward,  demon- 
strated how  little  dependence  can  be  placed  during  the 
summer  season  on  the  ordinary  water-powers  of  that 
region,  and  the  attention  of  manufacturers  has  been  newly 
drawn  to  Niagara. 

The  early  dream  of  growth  in  population  and  wealth 
at  Niagara  seems  likely  to  be  realized.  Already  exten- 
sive milling  and  manufacturing  establishments  have  been 
put  in  operation,  and  others  are  in  contemplation.  When 
it  is  considered  that  engineers  estimate  the  sum-total  of  all 
the  water-power  in  the  northern  portion  of  the  United 
States  at  less  than  500,000  horse-power,  and  that,  accord- 
ing to  data  furnished  by  the  United  States  Lake  Survey 
Bureau,  the  water-power  of  Niagara  is  equal  to  1,500,000 
horse-power,  we  can  form  some  idea  of  the  vastness  of 
the  force  which  awaits  the  enterprise  of  American  manu- 
facturers. 

"  I  understand,  Mr.  President,"  said  Daniel  Webster, 
in  a  speech  prefacing  a  toast  complimentary  to  the 
citizens  of  Rochester  for  their  generous  hospitality  at  the 


LOCAL    HISTORY    AND    INCIDENTS.  151 

New  York  State  Fair  in  1844,  "that  the  Genesee  River 
has  a  fall  of  250  feet  within  the  limits  of  the  city  of 
Rochester.  Sir,  if  the  Thames  had  a  fall  of  250  feet  within 
the  limits  of  the  city  of  London,  London  would  not  be 
a  town  —  it  would  be  a-1-1  t-h-e  w-o-r-l-d!"  and  as  he 
deliberately  stretched  out  his  great  arms,  and  expanded 
his  broad  chest,  while  slowly  pronouncing  the  last  three 
words,  one  could  almost  see  London  gradually  enlarging 
its  ample  borders  in  all  directions.  When  the  1,500,000 
horse-power  of  Niagara  is  utilized  for  the  economic  wants 
of  men,  Niagara  will  not  be  a  town  —  it  will  be  a  large  part 
of  all  the  world. 

On  the  25th  of  September,  1878,  in  an  after-luncheon 
speech  before  the  Ontario  Society  of  Artists  at  Toronto, 
Lord  Dufiferin,  Governor-General  of  Canada,  first  publicly 
suggested  the  idea  of  creating  an  International  Park  from 
lands  to  be  taken  from  both  sides  of  the  river  adjacent  to 
and  including  the  Falls.  He  stated  that  he  had  conferred 
with  Governor  Robinson  of  New  York  upon  the  subject, 
and  that  the  project  was  cordially  approved  by  him. 
Governor  Robinson,  in  his  annual  message  the  following 
winter,  commended  the  project  to  the  consideration  of 
the  Legislature,  by  whom  a  commission  of  distinguished 
gentlemen  was  appointed  to  investigate  the  subject  and 
report  thereon.  After  a  full  examination  this  commission 
reported  warmly  in  favor  of  the  plan,  and  their  recom- 
mendation was  cordially  indorsed  by  a  great  many  promi- 
nent citizens  residing  in  different  sections  of  the  country. 
The  press,  too,  was  almost  unanimously  for  it.  A  major- 
ity of  the  members  of  the  Legislature  to  whom  the  report  was 


152  NIAGARA. 

made  would  have  passed  a  bill  for  the  further  prosecution 
of  the  scheme,  but,  unfortunately,  it  was  ascertained  that 
any  bill  they  might  pass  for  this  purpose  would  be  vetoed 
for  economical  reasons.  It  is  hoped  that  better  counsels 
may  ultimately  prevail,  and  the  plan  be  perfected. 
Nothing  else  can  save  Niagara  from  total  desecration  and 
disgrace.  The  fact  that  there  is  not  a  square  foot  of 
land  in  the  United  States  from  which  an  untaxed  view  of 
the  great  cataract  can  be  obtained  is  a  disgrace  to  the 
State,  the  nation,  and  the  civilization  of  the  age. 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 

Poetry  in  the  Table  Rock  albums  — Poems  by  Colonel  Porter,  Willis  G. 
Clark,  Lord  Morpeth,  Jose  Maria  Heredia,  A.  S.  Ridgely,  Mrs. 
Sigourney,  and  J.  G.  C.  Brainard. 

BEFORE  the  last  fall  of  Table  Rock,  there  stood 
upon  it  for  many  years  a  comfortable  summer-house, 
where  people  could  take  refuge  from  the  spray,  look  at 
the  Falls,  partake  of  luncheon,  and  procure  guides  and 
dresses  to  go  under  the  sheet.  In  the  sitting-room  was  a 
large  round  table,  on  which  were  placed  a  number  of 
albums,  as  they  were  called.  In  these  visitors  could  write 
whatever  thoughts  or  sentiments  might  be  suggested  by 
the  scene.  With  the  grand  reality  before  them  but  few 
persons  attempted  anything  serious,  by  far  the  greater 
number  adopting  the  facetious  vein.  It  was  emphatically 
light  literature.  One  or  two  collections  of  it  have  been 
published,  furnishing  the  reader  with  only  a  modicum  of 
sense  to  an  intolerable  quantity  of  nonsense. 

The  following  specimens  are  better  than  the  average : 

"  To  view  Niagara  Falls,  one  day, 

A  Parson  and  a  Tailor  took  their  way. 
The  Parson  cried,  while  rapt  in  wonder 
And  list'ning  to  the  cataract's  thunder: 
'  Lord !  how  thy  works  amaze  our  eyes, 
And  fill  our  hearts  with  vast  surprise  ! ' 
The  Tailor  merely  made  this  note: 
'  Lord  !  what  a  place  to  sponge  a  coat  i '  " 


154  NIAGARA. 

"THOUGHTS    ON    VISITING    NIAGARA. 

"  I  wonder  how  long  you've  been  a  roarin' 
At  this  infernal  rate  : 
I  wonder  if  all  you've  been  a  pourin' 
Could  be  ciphered  on  a  slate. 

"  I  wonder  how  such  a  thund'rin'  sounded 
When  all  New  York  was  woods ; 
I  suppose  some  Indians  have  been  drownded 
When  rains  have  raised  your  floods. 

"  I  wonder  if  wild  stags  and  buffaloes 
Hav'nt  stood  where  now  I  stand  ; 
Well,  'spose — bein'  scared  at  first  —  they  stub'd  their  toes, 
I  wonder  where  they'd  land ! 

"  I  wonder  if  the  rainbow's  been  a  shinin' 
Since  sunrise  at  creation ; 
And  this  waterfall  been  underminin' 
With  constant  spatteration  ! 

"  That  Moses  never  mentioned  ye,  I've  wonder'd, 
While  othei-  things  describin' ; 
My  conscience  !  how  loud  you  must  have  tliunder'd 
While  the  deluge  was  subsidin'  ! 

"  My  thoughts  are  strange,  magnificent,  and  deep 
While  I  look  down  on  thee. 
Oh  !  what  a  splendid  place  for  washing  sheep 
Niagara  would  be  ! 

"  And  oh  !  what  a  tremendous  water  power 
Is  wasted  o'er  its  edge ! 
One  man  might  furnish  all  the  world  with  flour 
With  a  single  privilege. 

"  I  wonder  how  many  times  the  lakes  have  all 
Been  emptied  over  here  ? 


LOCAL    HISTORY     AND     INCIDENTS.  1 55 

Why  Clinton  didn't  feed  the  Grand  Canawi 
From  hence,   I  think  is  queer." 

The  most  graceful  verses  on  Niagara  ever  written  by 
a  resident  are  the  following  by  the  late  Colonel  Porter, 
who  was  an  artist  both  with  the  pencil  and  the  pen. 
They  were  written  for  a  young  relative  in  playful  ex- 
planation of  a  sketch  he  had  drawn  at  the  top  of  a  page 
in  her  album,  representing  the  Falls  in  the  distance,  and 
an  Indian  chief  and  two  Europeans  in  the  foreground  : 

"  An  Artist,  underneath  his  sign  (a  masterpiece,  of  course) 
Had  written,  to  prevent  mistakes,  'This  represents  a  horse ' : 
So  ere  I  send  my  Album  Sketch,  lest  connoisseurs  should  err, 
I  think  it  well  my  Pen  should  be  my  Art's  interpreter. 

"  A  chieftain  of  the  Iroquois,  clad  in  a  bison's  skin. 

Had  led  two  travelers  through  the  wood,  La  Salle  and  Hennepin. 
He  points,  and  there  they,  standing,  gaze  upon  the  ceaseless  flow 
Of  waters  falling  as  they  fell  two  hundred  years  ago. 

"  Those  three  are  gone,  and  little  heed  our  worldly  gain  or  loss  — 
The  Chief,  the  Soldier  of  the  Sword,  the  Soldier  of  the  Cross. 
One  died  in  battle,  one  in  bed,  and  one  by  secret  foe ; 
But  the  waters  fall  as  once  they  fell  two  hundred  years  ago. 

"  Ah,  me  !  what  myriads  of  men,  since  then,  have  come  and  gone ; 
What  states  have  risen  and  decayed,  what  prizes  lost  and  won  ; 
What  varied  tricks  the  juggler.  Time,  has  played  with  all  below : 
I^ut  the  waters  fall  as  once  they  fell  two  hundred  years  ago. 

"  What  troops  of  tourists  have  encamped  upon  the  river's  brink; 
What  poets  shed  from  countless  quills  Niagaras  of  ink ; 
What  artist  armies  tried  to  fix  the  evanescent  bow 
Of  the  waters  falling  as  -they  fell  two  hundred  years  ago. 


156  NIAGARA. 

"  And    stately   inns   feed   scores    of   guests   from   well    replenished 

larder, 
And    hackmen    drive    their    horses    hard,    but   drive    a   bargain 

harder ; 
And  screaming  locomotives  rush  in  anger  to  and  fro : 
But  the  waters  fall  as  once  they  fell  two  hundred  years  ago. 

'*  And  brides  of  every  age  and  clime  frequent  the  island's  bower, 
And   gaze    from    off    the    stone-built    perch — hence    called    the 

Bridal  Tower  — 
And  many  a  lunar  belle  goes  forth  to  meet  a  lunar  beau. 
By  the  waters  falling  as  they  fell  two  hundred  years  ago. 

"  And    bridges    bind    thy    breast,    O    stream  !    and    buzzing    mill- 
wheels  turn, 
To  show,  like  Samson,  thou  art  forced  thy  daily  bread  to  earn : 
And  steamers  splash  thy  milk-white  waves,  exulting  as  they  go, 
But  the  waters  fall  as  once  they  fell  two  hundred  years  ago. 

"  Thy  banks  no    longer   are    the    same    that   early  travelers   found 
them. 
But  break  and  crumble  now  and   then    like    other  banks  around 

them  ; 
And  on  their  verge  our  life  sweeps  on — alternate  joy  and  woe; 
But  the  waters  fall  as  once  they  fell  two  hundred  years  ago. 

"  Thus  phantoms  of  a  by-gone  age  have  melted  like  the  spray. 
And  in  our  turn  we  too  shall  pass,  the  phantoms  of  to-day: 
But  the   armies  of  the   coming   time   shall   watch   the   ceaseless 

flow 
Of  waters  faUing  as  they  fell  two  hundred  years  ago." 

On  turning  to  the  more  serious  poems  that  have  been 
written  on  the  theme,  the  reader  naturally  experiences  a 
feeling  of  disappointment  that  a  scene  which  has  filled  and 
charmed  so  many  eyes  should  have  found  so  few  inter- 


LOCAL     HISTORY    AND     INCIDENTS.  157 

preters.  Only  those  who  see  Niagara  know  how  fast  the 
tongue  is  bound  when  the  thought  struggles  most  for 
utterance.  One  who  seems  to  have  experienced  this 
feeling  thus  expresses  it : 

"  I  came  to  see  ; 
I  thought  to  write ; 
I  am  but dumb." 

The  late  Mr.  Willis  G.  Clark  thus  expands  the  same 
sentiment : 

"  Here  speaks  the  voice  of  God — let  man  be  dumb. 
Nor  with  his  vain  aspiring  hither  come. 
That  voice  impels  the  hollow-sounding  floods, 
And  like  a  Presence  fills  the  distant  woods. 
These  groaning  rocks  the  Almighty's  finger  piled; 
For  ages  here  his  painted  bow  has  smiled, 
Mocking  the  changes  and  the  chance  of  time  — 
Eternal,  beautiful,  serene,  sublime  ! " 

The  following  from  the  Table  Rock  Album  was  written 
by  the  late  Lord  Morpeth  : 

NIAGARA    FALLS. —  BY    LORD    MORPETH. 

"  There's  nothing  great  or  bright,  thou  glorious  Fall ! 
Thou  mayest  not  to  the  fancy's  sense  recall. 
The  thunder-riven  cloud,  the  lightning's  leap. 
The  stirring  of  the  chambers  of  the  deep  ; 
Earth's  emerald  green  and  many  tinted  dyes. 
The  fleecy  whiteness  of  the  upper  skies ; 
The  tread  of  armies  thickening  as  they  come. 
The  boom  of  cannon  and  the  beat  of  drum  ; 


158  NIAGARA. 

The  brow  of  beauty  and  the  form  of  grace, 

The  passion  and  the  prowess  of  our  race ; 

The  song  of  Homer  in  its  loftiest  hour, 

The  unresisted  sweep  of  human  power ; 

Britannia's  trident  on  the  azure  sea, 

America's  young  shout  of  Liberty ! 

Oh  !  may  the  waves  which  madden  in  thy  deep 

There  spend  their  rage  nor  chmb  the  encirchng  steep ; 

And  till  the  conflict  of  thy  surges  cease 

The  nations  on  thy  banks  repose  in  peace." 

The  extracts  below  are  from  a  poem  written  after  a 
visit  to  the  Falls  by  Jose  Maria  Heredia,  and  translated 
from  the  Spanish  by  William  Cullen  Bryant : 

"  NIAGARA. 

"  Tremendous  torrent!  for  an  instant  hush 
The  terrors  of  thy  voice,  and  cast  aside 
Those  wide  involving  shadows,  that  my  eyes 
May  see  the  fearful  beauty  of  thy  face ! 


"  Thou  flowest  on  in  quiet,   till  thy  waves 

Grow  broken  'midst  the  rocks;   thy  current  then 

Shoots  onward  like  the  irresistible  course 

Of  destiny.     Ah,  terribly  they  rage, — 

The  hoarse  and  rapid  whirlpools  there  !     My  brain 

Grows  wild,  my  senses  wander,  as  1  gaze 

Upon  the  hurrying  waters ;   and  my  sight 

Vainly  would  follow,  as  toward  the  verge 

Sweeps  the  wide  torrent.     Waves  innumerable 

Meet  there  and  madden, —  waves  innumerable 

Urge  on  and  overtake  the  waves  before, 

And  disappear  in  thunder  and  in  foam. 


5-  159 


LOCAL     HISTORY    AND    INCIDENi. 

"  They  reach,  they  leap  the  barrier,—  the  abyss 
Swallows  insatiable  the  sinking  waves. 
A  thousand  rainbows  arch  them,  and  woods 
Are  deafened  with  the  roar.     The  violent  shock 
Shatters  to  vapor  the  descending  sheets. 
A  cloudy  whirlwind  fills  the  gulf,  and  heaves 
The  mighty  pyramid  of  circling  mist 
To  heaven.  *  *  *  * 

What  seeks  my  restless  eye  ?     Why  are  not  here, 
About  the  jaws  of  this  abyss,  the  palms, — 
Ah,  the  delicious  palms,— that  on  the  plains 
Of  my  own  native  Cuba  spring  and  spread 
Their  thickly  foliaged  summits  to  the  sun. 
And,  in  the  breathings  of  the  ocean  air 
Wave  soft  beneath  the  heaven's  unspotted  blue? 

"  But  no,  Niagara, —  thy  forest  pines 
Are  fitter  coronal  for  thee.     The  palm, 
The  effeminate  myrtle  and  pale  rose  may  grow 
In  gardens  and  give  out  their  fragrance  there. 
Unmanning  him  who  breathes  it.     Thine  it  is 
To  do  a  nobler  office.     Generous  minds 
Behold  thee,  and  are  moved  and  learn  to  rise 
Above  earth's  frivolous  pleasures;  they  partake 
Thy  grandeur  at  the  utterance  of  thy  name. 


"  Dread  torrent,  that  with  wonder  and  with  fear 
Dost  overwhelm  the  soul  of  him  who  looks 
Upon  thee,  and  dost  bear  it  from  itself, — 
Whence  hast  thou  thy  beginning?     Who  supplies, 
Age  after  age,  thy  unexhausted  springs? 
What  power  hath  ordered  that,  when  all  thy  weight 
Descends  into  the  deep,  the  swollen  waves 
Rise  not  and  roll  to  overwhelm  the  earth  ? 


^^O  NIAGARA. 

"  The  Lord  hath  opened  his  omnipotent  hand, 
Covered  thy  face  with  clouds  and  given  his  voice 
To  thy  down-rushing  waters  :   he  hath  girt 
Thy  terrible  forehead  with  his  radiant  bow. 
I  see  thy  never-resting  waters  run, 
And  I  bethink  me  how  the  tide  of  time 
Sweeps  to  eternity." 

The  lyric  from  which  the  following  extracts  are  taken 
was  written  by  Mr.  A.  S.  Ridgely,  of  Baltimore,  Md. : 

"  Man  lays  his  scepter  on  the  ocean  waste, 
His  footprints  stiffen  in  the  Alpine  snows, 
But  only  God  moves  visibly  in  thee, 
O  King  of  Floods !  that  with  resistless  fate 
Down  plungest  in  thy  mighty  width  and  depth. 
*         *         *         Amazement,  terror,  fill. 
Impress  and  overcome  the  gazer's  soul. 
Man's  schemes  and  dreams  and  petty  littleness 
Lie  open  and  revealed.     Himself  far  less  — 
Kneeling  before  thy  great  confessional  — 
Than  are  the  bubbles  of  the  passing  tides. 
Words  may  not  picture  thee,  nor  pencil  paint 
Thy  might  of  waters,   volumed  vast  and  deep  ; 
Thy  many-toned  and  all-pervading  voice; 
Thy  wood-crown'd  Isle,  fast  anchor'd  on  the  brink 
Of  the  dread  precipice ;   thy  double  stream. 
Divided,  yet  in  beauty  unimpaired ; 
Thy  wat'ry  caverns  and   thy  crystal  walls; 
Thy  crest  of  sunlight  and  thy  depths  of  shade, 
Boiling  and  seething  like  a  Phlegethon 
Amid  the  wind-swept  and  convolving  spray. 
Steady  as  Faith  and  beautiful  as  Hope. 
There,  of  beam  and  cloud  the  fair  creation, 
The  rainbow  arches  its  ethereal  hues. 
From  flint  and  granite  in  compacturc  strong. 


LOCAL    HISTORY    AND    INCIDENTS.  l6l 

Not  with  steel  thrice  harden'd — but  with  the  wave 
Soft  and  translucent  —  did  the  new-bom  Time 
Chisel  thy  altars.     Here  hast  thou  ever  poured 
Earth's  grand  libation  to  Eternity; 
Thy  misty  incense  rising  unto  God  — 
The  God  that  was  and  is  and  is  to  be." 

Mrs.   Sigourney  wrote  the  following  poem,  it  is  said, 
during  a  visit  to  Table  Rock  : 

"apostrophe    to    NIAGARA. 

"  Flow  on,  forever,  in  thy  glorious  robe 
Of  terror  and  of  beauty.     God  has  set 
His  rainbow  on  thy  forehead,  and  the  clouds 
Mantled  around  thy  feet.     And  He  doth  give 
Thy  voice  of  thunder  power  to  speak  of  Him 
Eternally,  bidding  the  lip  of  man 
Keep  silence,  and  upon  thy  rocky  altar  pour 
Incense  of  awe-struck  praise. 

And  who  can  dare 
To  lift  the  insect  trump  of  earthly  hope, 
Or  love,  or  sorrow,  'mid  the  peal  sublime 
Of  thy  tremendous  hymn  !     Even  ocean  shrinks 
Back  from  thy  brotherhood,  and  his  wild  waves 
Retire  abashed ;   for  he  doth  sometimes  seem 
To  sleep  like  a  spent  laborer,  and  recall 
His  wearied  billows  from  their  vieing  play. 
And  lull  them  to  a  cradle  calm  :  but  thou. 
With  everlasting,  undecaying  tide 
Dost  rest  not  night  nor  day. 

The  morning  stars, 
When  first  they  sang  o'er  young  creation's  birth, 
Heard  thy  deep  anthem ;  and  those  wrecking  fires 
That  wait  the  archangel's  signal,  to  dissolve 
The  solid  earth,  shall  find  Jehovah's  name 
II 


l62  NIAGARA. 

Graven,  as  with  a  thousand  spears 
On  thine  unfathomed  page.     Each  Iccfy  bough 
That  hfts  itself  within  thy  proud  domain 
Doth  gather  greenness  from  thy  living  spray, 
And  tremble  at  the  baptism.     Lo  !  yon  birds 
Do  venture  boldly  near,  bathing  their  wings 
Amid  thy  foam  and  mist.     'Tis  meet  for  them 
To  touch  thy  garment  here,  or  lightly  stir 
The  snowy  leaflets  of  this  vapor  wreath. 
Who  sport  unharmed  on  the  fleecy  cloud. 
And  listen  to  the  echoing  gate  of  heaven 
Without  reproof.     But  as  for  us,  it  seems 
Scarce  lawful  with  our  broken  tones  to  speak 
Familiarly  of  thee.     Methinks,  to  tint 
Thy  glorious  features  with  our  pencil's  point, 
Or  woo  thee  with  the  tablet  of  a  song, 
Were  profanation. 

Thou  dost  make  the  soul 
A  wondering  witness  of  thy  majesty ; 
And  while  it  rushes  with  delirious  joy 
To  tread  thy  vestibule,  dost  chain  its  step. 
And  check  its  rapture,  with  the  humbling  view 
Of  its  own  nothingness,  bidding  it  stand 
In  the  dread  presence  of  the  Invisible, 
As  if  to  answer  to  its  God  through  thee." 

The  following  lines  were  written  by  the  late  John 
G.  C.  Brainard,  who  never  saw  the  Falls.  They  were 
dashed  ofif  at  a  single  short  sitting,  for  the  head  of  the 
literary  column  of  the  Connecticut  Mirror,  of  Hartford, 
which  he  then  edited  : 

"the     falls     of     NIAGARA. 

"  The  thoughts  are  strange  that  crowd  into  my  brain 
While  I  look  upward  to  thee.     It  would  seem 


LOCAL    HISTORY    AND     INCIDENTS.  1 63 

As  if  God  pour'd  thee  from  his  '  hollow  hand ' 

And  hung  his  bow  upon  thine  awful  front, 

And  spoke  in  that  loud  voice  which  seem'd  to  him 

Who  dwelt  in  Patmos  for  his  Saviour's  sake, 

'The  sound  of  many  waters,'  and  had  bade 

Thy  flood  to  chronicle  the  ages  back. 

And  notch  his  cen'tries  in  the  eternal  rocks. 

*'  Deep  calleth  unto  deep.     And  what  are  we 
That  hear  the  question  of  that  voice  sublime? 
Oh  !  what  are  all  the  notes  that  ever  rung 
From  War's  vain  trumpet  by  thy  thundering  side  ! 
Yea,  what  is  all  the  riot  man  can  make 
In  his  short  life  to  thy  unceasing   roar  ! 
And  yet,  bold  babbler,  what  art  thou  to  Him 
Who  drown'd  a  world  and  heap'd  the  waters  far 
Above  its  loftiest  mountains? — a  light  wave 
That  breaks  and  whispers  of  its  Maker's  might." 


PART    IV. 

OTHER    FAMOUS    CATARACTS 
OF   THE   WORLD. 

CHAPTER    XIX. 

Yosemite — Vernal  —  Nevada  —  Yellowstone  —  Shoshone  —  St.    Maurice — 
Montmorency. 

FOR  the  purpose  of  comparison  it  may  be  interesting 
to  note  other  cataracts  in  the  United  States,  and  in 
other  parts  of  the  world,  and  also  some  of  the  remarkable 
rapids,  which  may  be  successors  to  what  were  once  per- 
pendicular falls.  For  descriptions  of  those  in  foreign 
countries  we  are  chiefly  indebted  to  the  geographical 
gazetteers  and  the  journals  of  Humboldt,  Livingstone, 
Bohle,  and  Stanley ;  for  information  regarding  the  cata- 
racts of  Norway  we  are  indebted  to  Murray's  "  Norway, 
Denmark  and  Sweden." 

In  the  United  States,  after  Niagara,  the  first  to  claim 
our  attention  are  the  Falls  of  the  Yosemite,  so  graphically 
and  scientifically  made  known  to  us  in  the  second  vol- 
ume of  Professor  J.  D.  Whitney's  Geological  Report  for 
California. 


<-^rTf^' 


OTHER    FAMOUS    CATARACTS.  165 

Before  describing  them  it  is  necessary  to  note  the 
physical  features  of  the  region  in  which  they  are  placed. 
The  valley  of  the  Yosemite  forms  a  portion  of  the  bed 
of  the  Merced  River,  which  flows  through  it  and  passes 
from  it  by  a  wild,  deep  caiion  into  the  San  Joaquin.  It 
is  about  eight  miles  long  and  from  half  a  mile  to  a  mile 
wide,  with  a  sharp  bend  to  the  west,  about  two  miles 
from  its  upper  end.  To  this  place  the  Merced  and  two 
tributaries,  called  the  North  and  South  Forks,  have 
come  through  the  most  rugged  canons,  falling  nearly 
two  thousand  feet  in  the  space  of  two  miles. 

Near  the  southerly  end  of  the  valley  is  the  remark- 
able rock  El  Capitan,  an  almost  vertical  cliff  3,600  feet 
high,  and  one  of  the  grandest  objects  in  the  valley. 
Just  above  this  is  the  imposing  pile  called  the  Cathedral 
Rocks,  and  behind  these,  connected  with  them,  two 
slender  and  beautiful  granite  columns  called  the  Cathe- 
dral Spires. 

Two  miles  above,  on  the  opposite  side,  is  the  row  of 
summits,  rising  like  steps  one  above  another,  named  the 
Three  Brothers.  On  the  other  side,  in  the  angle  of  the 
valley,  stands  Sentinel  Rock,  so  called  from  its  fancied 
resemblance  to  a  watch-tower.  Three-fourths  of  a  mile 
in  a  southerly  direction  from  this  is  the  Sentinel  Dome, 
more  than  four  thousand  feet  high  and  affording  from  its 
summit  a  most  magnificent  view.  Following  up  the  North 
Fork,  just  at  the  entrance  of  the  canon,  rises  the  Half 
Dome,  the  grandest  and  loftiest  in  the  Yosemite  Valley, 
an  inaccessible  crest  of  granite,  having  an  elevation  — 
according  to  Prof  Brewer — of  6,000  feet.  On  the  oppO" 
IIA 


l66  NIAGARA. 

site  side  of  the  same  caiion  stands  the  North  Dome, 
another  of  those  rounded  masses  of  granite  so  charac- 
teristic of  the  sierras.  Appearing  as  a  buttress  to  this 
is  Washington's  Column,  and  below  this  the  Royal 
Arches,  an  immense  arched  cavity,  formed  by  the 
giving  way  and  sliding  down  of  portions  of  the  rock, 
and  presenting,  in  the  upper  part,  a  vaulted  appear- 
ance. 

In  the  angle  formed  by  the  Merced  with  the  South 
Fork  is  the  symmetrical  and  beautiful  North  Dome. 
This  valley  is  the  most  remarkable  basin  thus  far  found 
in  the  world,  and  in  view  of  its  gigantic  and  impressive 
scenery  we  cannot  but  marvel  at  its  size  —  a  mere  cup 
or  trough  in  the  midst  of  one  of  the  sublimest  of 
geological  formations.  This  tiny  strip  of  wonder-land 
is,  as  we  have  seen,  only  eight  miles  long  and  less  than 
three-quarters  of  a  mile  average  width. 

Beginning  at  the  south-westerly  end  of  the  valley  we 
first  reach,  in  ascending  it,  the  Bridal  Veil,  formed  by  one 
of  the  torrents  that  feed  the  Merced  River.  It  is  i,ooo 
feet  in  height,  the  body  of  water  not  being  large,  but 
sufficient  to  produce  the  most  picturesque  effect.  As  it 
is  swayed  backward  and  forward  by  the  force  of  the 
wind,  it  seems  to  flutter  like  a  white  veil. 

Near  the  head  of  the  valley,  where  it  turns  sharply 
toward  the  west,  we  have  before  us  the  Yosemite  Fall. 
"  From  the  edge  of  the  cliff  to  the  bottom  of  the  valley  the 
perpendicular  distance  is,  in  round  numbers,  2,550  feet. 
The  fall  is  not  one  perpendicular  sheet.  There  is  first  a 
vertical  descent  of  1,500  feet,  when  the  water  strikes  on 


Opposite  pa^e  166. 


Bridal  Veil  Fall. 


OTHER    FAMOUS    CATARACTS.  1 6/ 

what  seems  to  be  a  projecting  ledge,  but  which  is  in 
reahty  a  shell"  or  recess  about  a  third  of  a  mile  back  from 
the  front  of  the  lower  portion  of  the  cliff.  Across  this 
shelf  the  water  rushes  downward  in  a  foaming  torrent  on 
a  slope,  equal  to  a  perpendicular  height  of  626  feet,  when 
it  makes  a  final  plunge  of  about  400  feet  on  to  a  low  talus 
of  rock  at  the  foot  of  the  precipice.  As  these  various 
falls  are  in  one  vertical  plane,  the  effect  of  the  whole 
from  the  opposite  side  of  the  valley  is  nearly  as  grand, 
and  perhaps  even  more  picturesque,  than  it  would  be 
if  the  descent  was  made  in  one  sheet  from  the  top  to 
the  bottom.  The  mass  of  water  in  the  1,500  feet  fall 
is  too  great  to  allow  of  its  being  entirely  broken  up 
into  spray,  but  it  widens  very  much  as  it  descends, 
and  as  the  sheet  vibrates  backward  and  forward  with 
the  varying  pressure  of  the  wind,  which  acts  with 
immense  force  on  this  long  column  of  water,  the  effect 
is  indescribably  grand." 

The  first  fall  in  the  canon  of  the  Merced  is  the 
Vernal,  "a  simple  perpendicular  sheet  475  feet  high,  the 
rock  behind  it  being  a  perfectly  square-cut  mass  of 
granite.  Ascending  to  the  summit  of  the  Vernal  Fall  by 
a  series  of  ladders,  and  passing  a  succession  of  rapids  and 
cascades  of  great  beauty,  we  come  to  the  last  great  fall 
of  the  Merced  —  the  Nevada,  which  has  a  descent  of  639 
feet,  and  near  its  summit  has  a  peculiar  twist  caused  by 
the  mass  of  water  falling  on  a  projecting  ledge  which 
throws  it  off  to  one  side,  adding  greatly  to  the  picturesque 
effect.  It  must  be  ranked  as  one  of  the  finest  cataracts 
in    the    world,    taking  into  consideration  its  height,   the 


l68  NIAGARA. 

volume  and  purity  of  the  water,  and  the  whole  character 
of  the  scenery  which  surrounds  it." 

The  fall  from  end  to  end  of  the  valley  proper  is  about 
fifty  feet.  "Its  smooth  and  brilliant  color,  diversified  as  it 
is  with  groves  of  trees  and  carpeted  with  showy  flowers, 
offers  the  most  wonderful  contrast  to  the  towering  masses 
of  neutral  and  light  purple-tinted  rocks  by  which  it  is 
surrounded.  Its  elevation  above  the  sea  is  estimated 
at  4,060  feet,  and  the  cliffs  and  domes  about  it  from 
3,000  to  5,000  feet  higher."  It  is  a  source  of  great 
satisfaction  to  the  lover  of  nature  that  this  famous  and 
favored  territory,  so  studded  with  grandeur  and  fretted 
with  beauty,  has  wisely  been  set  apart  by  Governmental 
authority  to  minister  to  the  higher  needs  and  better 
instincts  of  man. 

The  valley  of  the  Yellowstone  east  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains  in  the  north,  like  that  of  the  Yosemite  west 
of  the  sierras  of  the  Pacific  slope,  is  another  wonder- 
land, presenting  a  bewildering  variety  of  land  and  water 
formations  which,  in  turn,  awe,  charm,  fascinate,  or  amuse, 
but  always  astonish,  the  beholder. 

Among  the  most  interesting  objects  in  the  Yellow- 
stone Valley  are  the  upper  and  lower  falls  of  the 
Yellowstone  River.  "  No  language,"  says  Professor 
Hayden,  "can  do  justice  to  the  wonderful  grandeur 
and  beauty  of  these  scenes,  and  it  is  only  through  the 
eye  that  the  mind  can  gather  anything  like  an  ade- 
quate conception  of  them.  The  two  falls  are  not  more 
than  a  fourth  of  a  mile  apart.  Above  the  upper  fall 
the   Yellowstone    flows    through  a   grassy,   meadow-like 


OTHER    FAMOUS    CATARACTS.  169 

valley  with  a  calm,  steady  current,  giving  no  warning 
until  very  near  the  fall  that  it  is  about  to  rush  over 
a  precipice  140  feet  high,  and  then,  within  a  quarter 
of  a  mile,  again  leap  down  a  distance  of  350  feet. 
After  the  waters  roll  over  the  upper  descent  they  flow 
with  great  rapidity  along  the  upper  flat,  rocky  bottom 
which  spreads  out  to  near  double  the  width  above  the 
falls,  and  continues  thus  until  near  the  fall,  when  the 
channel  again  contracts  and  the  waters  seem,  as  it  were, 
to  gather  into  a  compact  mass  and  plunge  over  the 
descent  of  350  feet  in  detached  drops  of  foam  as  white  as 
snow." 

On  the  Snake  or  Lewis  River,  the  largest  tributary  of 
the  Columbia  River,  are  three  falls,  the  greatest  of  which 
is  the  Shoshone  in  Idaho,  where  the  river,  with  a  width  of 
six  hundred  yards,  is  said  to  be  of  so  great  a  depth  that 
it  discharges  nearly  as  much  water  as  the  Niagara,  over  a 
precipice  about  two  hundred  feet  high.  This  grand  fall  is 
situated  in  the  midst  of  magnificent  scenery,  and  is  sur- 
rounded by  a  fertile  country. 

Another  lesser  Niagara  is  found  in  the  north-east,  in 
the  river  St.  Maurice,  the  largest  tributary  of  the  St. 
Lawrence,  which  falls  into  it  from  the  north  below  Three 
Rivers  and  about  twenty-two  miles  above  its  mouth.  The 
fall — the  Shawenegan  —  is  the  same  height  as  Niagara, 
and  while  the  width  and  depth  of  the  river  are  not  given, 
the  volume  of  water  pouring  over  the  precipice  is  said  to 
be  forty  thousand  feet  per  second,  a  supply  sufficient  to 
produce  a  grand  and  impressive  cataract. 

Eight  miles  below  Quebec  the  river  Montmorency  dis- 


\yO  NIAGARA. 

charges  directly  into  the  St.  Lawrence,  over  a  chff  two 
hundred  and  fifty  feet  high,  with  a  width  of  one  hundred 
and  fifty  feet.  The  falHng  foam-flecked  sheet  presents 
a  beautiful  and  picturesque  appearance.  It  is  unique  as 
being  the  only  known  instance  in  which  a  tributary  falls 
perpendicularly  into  the  main  stream. 


Opposite  pane 


Nevada   Falls. 


CHAPTER    XX. 

Tequendama  — Kaiteeur  —  Paulo  Affonso — Keel-fos — Riunkan-fos — Sarp- 
fos  —  Staubbach — Zambesi  or  Victoria — Murchison  —  Cavery  —  Schafl- 
hausen. 

IN  South  America  is  the  remarkable  fall  of  Tequen- 
dama, on  the  river  Bogota,  which,  at  this  point,  is  only 
one  hundred  and  forty  feet  wide,  and  is  divided  into  nu- 
merous narrow  and  deep  channels  which  finally  unite  in 
two  of  nearly  the  same  width,  and  make  a  perpendicular 
plunge  of  six  hundred  and  fifty  feet  to  the  plain  below. 
"The  cataract,"  says  Humboldt,  "forms  an  assemblage 
of  everything  that  is  sublimely  picturesque  in  beautiful 
scenery.  It  is  not  one  of  the  highest  falls,  but  there 
scarcely  exists  a  cataract  which,  from  so  lofty  a  height, 
precipitates  so  voluminous  a  mass  of  water.  The  body, 
when  it  first  parts  from  its  bed,  forms  a  broad  arch  of 
glassy  appearance;  a  little  lower  down  it  assumes  a  fleecy 
form,  and  ultimately,  in  its  progress,  it  shoots  forth  in 
millions  of  smaller  masses,  which  chase  each  other  like 
sky-rockets.  The  attending  noises  are  quite  astounding, 
and  dense  clouds  of  vapor  soar  upward,  presenting  beauti- 
ful rainbows  in  their  ascent.  What  gives  a  remarkable 
appearance  to  the  scene  is  the  great  difference  in  the  vege- 
tation surrounding  different  parts  of  it."  At  the  summit 
the    traveler  "  finds    himself   surrounded,   not    only  with 


172  NIAGARA. 

begonias  and  the  yellow  bark  tree  (Sandal),  but  with  oaks, 
elms,  and  other  plants,  the  growth  of  which  recall  to  mind 
the  vegetation  of  Europe,  when  suddenly  he  discovers,  as 
from  a  terrace  and  at  his  feet,  a  country  producing  the 
palm,  the  banana,  and  the  sugar-cane.  The  cause  of  the 
difference  is  not  ascertained,  the  difference  of  altitude  — 
one  hundred  and  seventy-five  metres  —  not  being  suflficient 
to  exert  much  influence  on  the  atmosphere." 

Another  and  grander  South  American  fall,  of  compara- 
tively recent  discovery,  is  the  Kaiteeur,  so  called,  in  the 
river  Potaro,  a  large  affluent  of  the  Essequibo,  the  largest 
river  in  British  Guiana.  The  volume  of  water  is  greater 
than  that  in  the  Bogota,  and  falls  in  a  single  column  of 
dazzling  whiteness  seven  hundred  and  forty  feet  into  a 
vast  basin  below.  The  ascending  cloud  of  spray,  the 
solemn  monotone  of  the  descending  flood,  the  extreme 
wildness  of  the  primitive  forest,  and  the  luxuriant  and 
abundant  growth  of  tropical  vines  and  shrubs,  and  their 
gorgeous  colors,  make  the  scene  impressive. 

"  There  is  in  Brazil,"  says  Elisee  Reclus,  "  not  far  from 
Bahia,  the  wonderful  cataract  of  San  Francisco,  known  by 
the  name  of  Paulo  Affonso.  At  the  foot  of  a  long  slope 
over  which  it  glides  in  rapids,  the  river,  one  of  the  most 
considerable  of  the  South  American  continent,  whirls 
round  and  round  as  it  enters  a  kind  of  funnel-shaped 
cavity,  roughened  with  rocks,  and  suddenly  contracting 
its  width,  dashes  against  three  rocky  masses  reared  up  like 
towers  at  the  edge  of  the  abyss  ;  then  dividing  into  four 
vast  columns  of  water,  it  plunges  down  into  a  gulf  two 
hundred  and  forty-six  feet  in  depth.   The  principal  column, 


OTHER     FAMOUS    CATARACTS.  1 73 

being  confined  in  a  perpendicular  passage,  is  scarcely  sixty- 
six  feet  in  width,  but  it  must  be  of  an  enormous  thicl^ness 
(depth),  as  it  forms  almost  the  whole  body  of  the  river. 
Half  way  up,  the  channel  which  contains  it  bends  to  the 
left,  and  the  falling  mass,  changing  its  direction,  passes 
under  a  vertical  column  of  water,  which  penetrates  through 
it  from  one  side  to  the  other,  and  breaking  it  up  into  a 
chaos  of  surges,  converts  it  into  a  sea  of  foam.  Sometimes 
the  white,  misty  vapor  may  be  seen,  and  the  thunder 
of  the  water  may  be  heard  at  a  distance  of  more  than 
fifteen  miles."  The  spray  and  roar  of  Niagara  are  often 
seen  and  heard  at  Toronto,  forty  miles  away,  across 
Lake  Ontario. 

In  Norway  is  found  the  highest  perpendicular  fall  in 
the  world  that  is  constantly  supplied  with  water.  It  is 
the  Keel-fos,  formed  by  a  mountain  stream  that  falls  two 
thousand  feet  into  the  Navoens  Fjord  near  Gudhaven,  but 
the  water  becomes  a  mere  billowy  bank  of  mist  before  it 
reaches  the  bottom. 

The  Riunkan-fos  is  another  Norwegian  cataract  in  the 
outlet  of  Lake  Mjosvard,  which  pours  through  a  wild, 
rock-studded  slope  until  it  reaches  a  precipice,  on  the 
brink  of  which  it  is  divided  by  a  huge  mass  of  rock  into 
two  channels.  Thence  it  falls  eight  hundred  and  eighty 
feet  into  a  dark  basin  at  its  foot,  from"  which  water- 
rockets  and  sharp  jets  of  foam  shoot  up  and  out  in  all 
directions.  The  intense  whiteness  of  the  fleecy  column 
is  indescribable. 

A  still  more  famous  Norwegian  cararact  is  the  Sarp- 
fos    in    the  Stor-Elven,   formed  by  the   junction  of   the 


174  NIAGARA. 

Lougen  and  Glommen,  the  largest  of  the  Norwegian 
rivers.  Like  the  Riunkan-fos  the  stream  is  greatly  con- 
tracted in  a  rocky  gorge,  and  at  the  edge  of  the  cliff  is 
divided  into  two  channels  which,  however,  soon  unite  in 
a  fall  of  one  hundred  feet  upon  huge  masses  of  rock, 
through  and  over  which  it  rushes  tumultuously  for  a  short 
distance,  and  then  flows  quietly  into  the  sea.  The  vol- 
ume of  water  is  unusuUy  large  for  a  purely  mountain 
river,  being  in  the  gorge  at  the  top  of  the  fall  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  feet  wide  and  forty  feet  deep.  The  massive 
and  intensely  white  column  contrasted  with  the  dark  green 
foliage  of  the  solemn  pines,  and  the  darker  rocks  about  it, 
and  the  deep  blue  water  into  which  it  falls,  produce  a 
vivid  impression  on  the  mind  of  the  beholder.  The  Stor- 
Elven  here  presents  the  curious  phenomenon  of  a  stream 
changing,  not  from  a  perpendicular  fall  to  a  rapid,  but  the 
reverse,  from  a  rapid  to  a  perpendicular  fall.  A  great 
portion  of  the  right  bank  of  the  river  at  the  fall,  and  for  a 
considerable  distance  below,  is  chiefly  composed  of  a  stiff" 
blue  clay,  and  the  river  once  flowed  past  Sarpsborg,  a 
mile  below,  in  a  succession  of  magnificent  rapids.  At 
that  time  a  superb  mansion  with  numerous  out-buildings 
stood  at  the  termination  of  the  rapids.  On  the  5th  of 
February,  1 702,  the  mansion,  together  with  everything  in 
and  about  it,  sunk  into  an  abyss  six  hundred  feet  deep, 
and  was  entirely  buried  beneath  the  water.  The  walls  of 
the  house  were  of  unusual  strength  and  thickness,  with 
several  high  towers,  but  the  whole  was  buried  out  of  sight. 
Fourteen  persons  and  two  hundred  head  of  cattle  were  also 
engulfed.     The  catastrophe  was  caused  by  the  washing 


Opposite  page  174.  Upper   Falls  of  the  \'ello\vstone. 


OTHER    FAMOUS    CATARACTS.  1/5 

out  of  the  blue  clay,  and  the  undermining  of  the  bank, 
which  then  toppled  over  into  the  watery  chasm. 

In  Switzerland  is  the  Staubbach — dust-stream — a  well 
known  fall  in  the  canton  of  Berne.  It  has  a  sheer  descent 
of  nearly  nine  hundred  feet,  in  which  the  water  is  converted 
into  spray  that  is  easily  moved  by  the  wind,  thus  giving  it  a 
singularly  beautiful  resemblance  to  a  white  curtain  floating 
in  the  air. 

In  South  Africa,  Livingstone  has  made  the  public 
acquainted  with  that  extraordinary  hiatus  in  the  crust  of 
the  earth  in  which  the  great  river  Zambesi  is  swallowed 
up.  A  stream  more  than  a  thousand  yards  wide,  dotted 
with  islands,  flowing  between  fertile  banks  clothed  with 
the  luxuriant  and  gorgeous  vegetation  of  the  tropics,  with- 
out the  least  preliminary  break  or  rapid,  suddenly  drops 
into  a  dark  chasm  of  unknown  depth,  which,  repeatedly 
doubling  on  itself,  pursues  its  tortuous  course  some  forty 
miles  through  the  hills  before  emerging  again  into  the 
sunlight.  "From  Kalai,"  says  Livingstone,  "  after  some 
twenty  minutes'  sail  we  came  in  sight  of  the  columns  of 
vapor  appropriately  called  smoke.       *  *  *       Five 

columns  now  arose,  and,  bending  in  the  direction  of  the 
wind,  they  seemed  placed  against  a  low  ridge  covered 
with  trees.  The  tops  of  the  columns  at  this  distance  (six 
miles)  appeared  to  mingle  with  the  clouds.  The  whole 
scene  was  extremely  beautiful."  At  the  brink  of  the  chasm 
he  found  the  river  divided  into  two  channels  of  unequal  width 
by  a  large  island  called  the  "Garden,"  on  account  of  its 
rich  vegetation.  "  Creeping  with  awe  to  the  verge  I 
peered  down  into  a  large  rent  which  had  been  made  from 


1/6  NIAGARA. 

bank  to  bank  of  the  broad  Zambesi,  and  saw  that  a  stream 
a  thousand  yards  broad  leaped  down  a  hundred  feet  and 
then  became  suddenly  compressed  into  a  space  of  fifteen 
or  twenty  yards.  In  looking  down  into  this  fissure  on  the 
right  of  the  island  one  sees  nothing  but  a  dense,  white 
cloud.  From  this  cloud  rushed  up  a  great  jet  of  vapor 
exactly  like  steam,  and  it  mounted  two  hundred  or  three 
hundred  feet  high ;  then,  condensing,  it  changed  its  hue 
into  that  of  dark  smoke,  and  came  back  in  a  constant 
shower.  This  shower  fell  chiefly  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  fissure,  and  a  few  yards  back  from  the  top  there 
stands  a  straight-  hedge  of  evergreen  trees,  whose 
leaves  are  always  wet.  From  their  roots  a  number  of 
little  rills  run  back  into  the  gulf,  but  as  they  flow  down 
the  steep  wall  the  column  of  vapor  in  its  ascent  licks 
them  up  clean  off"  the  rock,  and  away  they  mount  again. 
They  are  constantly  running  down,  but  never  reach  the 
bottom." 

In  Northern  Africa  the  Murchison  Falls  in  the  White 
Nile,  between  lakes  Victoria  N'yanzi  and  Albert  N'yanzi, 
were  discovered  by  Sir  Samuel  Baker,  and  are  de- 
scribed by  him.  "  Upon  rounding  the  corner  a  magnifi- 
cent sight  burst  suddenly  upon  us.  On  either  side  of  the 
river  were  beautifully  wooded  clifis  rising  abruptly  to  a 
height  of  about  three  hundred  feet;  rocks  were  jutting  out 
from  the  intensely  green  foliage,  and,  rushing  through  a 
gap  that  cleft  the  river  exactly  before  us,  the  river  itself, 
contracted  from  a  grand  stream,  was  pent  up  in  a  narrow 
gorge  scarcely  fifty  yards  in  width;  roaring  furiously 
through  the  rock-bound  pass,  it  plunged  in  one  leap  of 


f^pposite  page  176. 


The  Staubbacli  —  Switzerlan 


OTHER    FAMOUS    CATARACTS.  \TJ 

about  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet  perpendicularly  into 
a  dark  abyss  below.  The  fall  of  water  was  snow-white, 
which  had  a  superb  effect,  as  it  contrasted  with  the  dark 
cliffs  that  walled  the  river,  while  graceful  palms  of  the 
tropics  and  wild  plantains  perfected  the  beauty  of  the 
view." 

A  writer  in  Hamilton's  "East  Indian  Gazetteer"  gives 
us  an  account  of  the  cataract  of  Gungani  Chuki  in  the 
northern  branch  of  the  river  Cavery.  "  Much  the  larger 
stream  is  broken  by  projecting  masses  of  rock  into  one 
cataract  of  prodigious  volume  and  three  or  four  smaller 
torrents.  The  first  plunges  into  the  river  below  from  a 
height  variously  estimated  at  from  one  hundred  to  one 
hundred  and  fifty  feet,  while  the  others,  impeded  in  their 
course  by  intervening  rocks,  work  their  way  with  many 
fantastic  evolutions  to  a  distance  about  two  hundred  feet 
from  the  base  of  the  precipice,  where  they  all  unite  to 
make  a  single  final  plunge,  while  the  other  branch  of  the 
river  precipitates  itself  in  two  columns  from  a  cliff  of  the 
same  height,  and  standing  nearly  at  right  angles  with 
the  main  fall.  •  The  surrounding  scenery  is  wild  in 
the  extreme,  and  the  whole  presents  a  very  imposing 
spectacle. 

"  A  second  cataract  is  formed  by  the  southern  arm  of  the 
Cavery  about  a  mile  below.  The  channel  here  spreads 
out  into  a  magnificent  expanse,  which  is  divided  into  no 
less  than  ten  distinct  torrents,  which  fall  with  infinite  variety 
of  configuration  over  a  precipice  of  more  than  one  hun- 
dred feet,  but  presenting  no  single  body  equal  to  the 
Gungani  Chuki,  but  the  whole  forming  an  amphitheatre 
12 


1/8  NIAGARA. 

of  cataracts,  meeting  the  eye  in  every  direction  along  a 
sweep  of  perhaps  90°,  and  combined  with  scenery  of  such 
sequestered  wildness  that  for  picturesque  effect  it  is  perhaps 
without  parallel  in  the  world."  This  branch  of  the  stream 
is  used  to  irrigate  the  province  of  Tanjore,  and  the  com- 
ing of  its  floods  is  celebrated  by  the  natives  with  special 
festivities,  as  they  consider  the  river  to  be  one  of  their  most 
beneficent  deities. 

The  beautiful  and  picturesque  fall  of  the  Rhine  below 
SchafThausen,  where  the  water  falls  sixty-five  feet  in  a 
single  column,  is  the  admiration  of  all  travelers. 


CHAPTER    XXI. 

Famous  Rapids  and  Cascades  —  Niagara  —  Amazon  —  Orinoco^ 
Parana — Nile  —  Livingstone. 

TN  all  its  features  and  characteristics  the  great  water- 
-*-  course,  including  the  great  lakes,  which  feeds  the 
Niagara,  is  peculiar  and  interesting.  It  is  more  than 
two  thousand  miles  long ;  its  utmost  surface-sources 
are  scarcely  six  hundred  feet  above  tide- water ;  its 
bottom,  at  its  greater  depth,  is  more  than  four  hundred 
feet  below  tide-water.  In  all  its  course  it  receives  less  than 
two  score  of  affluents,  and  only  two  of  these,  the  St.  Mau- 
rice and  the  Saugeen,  bring  to  it  any  considerable  quantity 
of  water,  and  no  flood  in  any  of  them  discolors  its  emerald 
surface  from  shore  to  shore.  Only  fierce  gales  of  wind 
bring  up  from  its  own  depths  the  sediment  that  can  dis- 
color its  whole  face.  Far  the  greater  portion  of  its  water- 
supply  is  drawn  from  countless  hidden  springs,  lying 
deep  in  the  bosom  of  the  earth.  In  all  the  elements  of 
beautiful,  picturesque,  and  enchanting  scenery  it  is 
unrivaled. 

The  rapids  of  the  Niagara  just  above  the  Falls,  from 
the  Leaping  Rock  down  through  the  Witches'  Caldron 
to  the  edge  of  the  precipice,  are  nearly  a  mile  in 
width,  and  discharge  ten  million  cubic  feet  of  water 
each  minute.      But  for  a  combination  of  grandeur   and 


l80  NIAGARA. 

beauty,  and  for  imparting  a  sense  of  almost  infinite 
power,  nothing  can  surpass  the  Whirlpool  Rapids  below 
the  Falls,  where  the  ten  million  cubic  feet  of  water  are 
compressed  into  a  tortuous,  tumultuous  channel,  less 
than  four  hundred  feet  wide. 

There  are  many  lesser  rapids  in  the  St.  Lawrence, 
from  the  Thousand  Islands  to  Montreal,  the  passage  of 
which  in  the  large  lake  steamers  is  an  exciting  voyage. 
The  constant  changes  of  scenery  at  every  turn  and  in 
every  rood  of  progress  is  almost  bewildering.  Then  the 
alternation  of  rapids  and  broad  expanses  of  river,  the 
bird-like  motion  as  the  steamer  sinks  and  sails  down 
through  the  rapids,  and  the  sense  of  relief  when  it 
seems  to  rise  and  glide  over  the  smooth  river,  vary 
and  increase  the  excitement.  There  is  developed  in 
one  of  those  expanses  a  peculiar  geological  feature 
called  the  Split  Rock.  The  name  is  strictly  accurate. 
The  descending  steamer  finds  but  one  narrow  chan- 
nel, a  little  more  than  its  own  width,  through  which  it 
can  pass  in  a  stream  more  than  half  a  mile  wide.  It 
lies  between  the  sharp  corners  of  a  broad,  wedge- 
shaped  cleavage  in  an  immense  rock  which,  by  some 
convulsion  of  nature — not  by  any  abrading  process 
of  the  elements  —  has  been  literally  split  downward  more 
than  eighty  feet.  The  last  crooked  and  turbulent  rapid 
passed  just  before  reaching  Montreal  is  the  terror  of  the 
river  pilots,  and  they  never  attempt  its  passage  except  by 
daylight.  From  Montreal  to  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence 
the  constantly  deepening  channel  flows  with  an  unbroken 
current. 


OTHER    FAMOUS    CATARACTS.  l8l 

It  is  a  notable  fact  that  the  great  river  of  rivers,  which 
drains  a  larger  territory  than  any  other  on  the  globe,  the 
Amazon  proper,  has  a  fall  of  only  two  hundred  and  ten 
feet  in  a  course  of  three  thousand  miles,  and  while  it  has 
a  deep  channel  and  a  uniform  current  of  three  miles 
an  hour  for  its  whole  length,  it  has  no  broken  rapids. 
But  in  its  many  great  affluents  rapids  are  numerous, 
though  not  so  famous  as  those  found  in  other  South  Am- 
erican rivers. 

The  river  Orinoco,  more  remarkable  in  some  respects 
than  the  Amazon,  receives  the  waters  of  four  hun- 
dred and  thirty-six  rivers,  besides  two  thousand  smaller 
streams.  It  is  one  thousand  five  hundred  miles  long,  is 
navigable  for  seven  hundred  and  eighty  miles,  and  at 
Bolivar,  two  hundred  and  fifty  miles  from  its  mouth,  it  is 
four  miles  wide  and  three  hundred  and  ninety  feet  deep. 
Its  famous  rapids  of  the  Apure  and  Maypure  were  visited 
by  Humboldt.  At  the  latter,  the  river  is  two  thousand 
eight  hundred  and  forty  yards  wide,  and  plunges  down  an 
inclined  plane  about  three  miles  long,  making  a  fall  equal 
to  forty  feet  in  vertical  height.  It  is  dotted  with  innum- 
erable islands  which  furnish  a  striking  contrast  to  the  vast 
sheet  of  white  water,  presenting  the  singular  appearance 
of  an  eruption  of  shrub-crowned  rocks  in  a  sea  of  foam. 
These  islands,  and  its  great  width,  constitute  the  peculiar 
characteristics  of  this  chute. 

In  the  grandest  of  the  South  American  rapids,  those 
of  the  river  Parana,  a  vast  volume  of  water  from  a  chan- 
nel nearly  two  and  a  half  miles  in  width  is  compressed 
into  a  gorge  only  sixty-six   yards  wide,  through  which 


1 82  NIAGARA. 

the  flood  dashes  down  a  slope  of  sixty  degrees  inclina- 
tion and  fifty-six  feet  perpendicular  fall.  Its  roar — a 
perpetual  monotone  —  is  heard  thirty  miles  away. 

Hardly  less  remarkable  than  the  rapids  of  the  South 
American  rivers  are  those  of  the  two  great  African  rivers, 
the  Nile  and  the  Congo,  or,  as  Mr.  Stanley  has  re-chris- 
tened the  latter,  the  Livingstone.  The  Nile  may  be 
compared  to  a  vast  tree  with  its  huge  delta-roots  in  the 
Mediterranean,  its  boll  extending  up  through  a  rainless 
desert  nearly  one  thousand  five  hundred  miles  to  meet  its 
numerous  branches  which  stretch  up  into  the  mountains 
of  Abyssinia,  and  the  vast  basin  south  of  the  equator 
that  contains  the  great  lakes  of  Victoria  N'yanzi  and 
Albert  N'yanzi.  From  these  branches  in  each  year,  at  a 
fixed  season,  are  poured  down  the  sediment-charged  waters 
which  irrigate  and  fertilize  an  immense  valley  that  would 
otherwise  be  only  a  parched  and  desert  waste. 

Without  specifying  the  data  for  his  calculations,  Mr. 
Stanley,  who  saw  them  both,  states  that  the  volume  of 
the  Livingstone  is  ten  times  greater  than  that  of  the  Nile. 
Its  course  is  interrupted  by  two  series  of  cataracts,  or 
rather  a  combination  of  cascades  and  rapids.  The  first 
series,  seven  in  number,  occurs  within  four  hundred 
miles  of  its  source,  and  consists  of  the  Stanley  Falls, 
occupying  different  points  in  a  channel  sixty-two  miles 
long.  Its  banks  are  of  moderate  elevation  above  its  bed, 
and  in  the  long,  bright,  equatorial  days  the  leaping, 
sparkling,  foaming  waters  present  a  scene  of  dazzling 
brilliancy.  In  the  second  series,  named  by  Mr.  Stanley 
the  Livingstone  Falls,  there  are  thirty-two  cascades,  more 


OTHER     FAMOUS    CATARACTS.  1 83 

extensive  and  imposing  than  those  of  the  first.  The 
river,  after  a  gentle  descent  of  nearly  one  thousand  miles, 
and  after  receiving  many  large  affluents,  reaches  the  first 
of  these  impetuous  torrents  where  all  its  waters  are  com- 
pressed into  a  narrow  gorge  only  four  hundred  and  fifty 
feet  wide,  and  at  a  single  point  near  the  right  bank  where 
a  sounding  was  possible,  Mr.  Stanley  found  a  depth  of 
one  hundred  and  thirty-eight  feet. 

The  remaining  thirty-one  cascades  are  distributed 
along  a  channel  one  hundred  and  fifty-five  miles  in 
length,  between  banks  from  fifty  to  six  hundred  feet  high, 
and  having  a  fall  of  one  thousand  one  hundred  feet.  The 
dimensions  here  given  indicate  that  these  rapids  are 
second,  in  power  and  impressiveness,  only  to  those  above 
the  Whirlpool  of  Niagara. 


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